Head orientation is aligned with take-off trajectory as chicks jump

Chicks of up to one week of age were video recorded while jumping across gaps of different widths and depths. The orientation of the head in the sagittal plane was measured at the point where jumps began. As the gap became wider, or the far side of it was raised, chicks' heads rotated upwards,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental brain research 1998-10, Vol.122 (3), p.295-300
Main Author: GREEN, P. R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Chickens
Fixation, Ocular - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Head - physiology
Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration
Movement - physiology
Posture - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:Chicks of up to one week of age were video recorded while jumping across gaps of different widths and depths. The orientation of the head in the sagittal plane was measured at the point where jumps began. As the gap became wider, or the far side of it was raised, chicks' heads rotated upwards, but this change in head orientation did not keep the far edge of the gap fixated at a particular elevation in the visual field. Except with narrow gaps, which chicks often stepped over, there was a consistent relationship between head orientation and the initial trajectory of a jump. Each 1 degree change in trajectory was accompanied by an approximately 1 degree change in head orientation. It is proposed that the visual control of head orientation and position in relation to the dimensions of a gap contributes to adjusting a chick's posture and, therefore, its trajectory at take-off.
ISSN:0014-4819
1432-1106
DOI:10.1007/s002210050517