Behavioral evidence of the role of lumbosacral anatomical specializations in pigeons in maintaining balance during terrestrial locomotion

In birds there are anatomical specializations in the lumbosacral vertebrae and spinal cord. These include segmentally organized bony canals which are related to accessory lobes of the spinal cord. Both structures are connected by cerebrospinal fluid. To test whether these specializations function as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Comparative Physiology 2000-04, Vol.186 (4), p.409-412
Main Authors: Necker, R., Janßen, A., Beissenhirtz, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Balance
Birds
Canals
Canals (anatomy)
Cerebrospinal fluid
Landing behavior
Lobes
Locomotion
Pigeons
Spinal cord
Spine
Terrestrial environments
Vertebrae
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Summary:In birds there are anatomical specializations in the lumbosacral vertebrae and spinal cord. These include segmentally organized bony canals which are related to accessory lobes of the spinal cord. Both structures are connected by cerebrospinal fluid. To test whether these specializations function as a sense organ of equilibrium the effect of opening the fluid space was studied in pigeons. Locomotory behaviors on the ground (landing on a perch, keeping balance on a rotating perch, walking) but not flight were significantly impaired after lesion. These results support the assumption that the lumbosacral specializations are involved in the control of locomotion on the ground.
ISSN:0340-7594
1432-1351
DOI:10.1007/s003590050440