Locomotion energetics of the ghost crab. I. Metabolic cost and endurance

Arthropods possess spectacular diversity in locomotor design. Yet it is not clear what unique constraints, if any, variation in design imposes on mechanics, metabolic energy cost or endurance during terrestrial locomotion. In the present study metabolic energy cost and endurance on a treadmill are measured for an arthropod, the eight-legged sideways travelling ghost crab, Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius). In a second paper the mechanics of locomotion are determined during walking and running over a force plate. Severe limitations in O2 uptake during exercise are not inherent in the design of a crab's O2 transport system, which consists of gills and an open circulatory system. The ghost crab's capacity to elevate oxygen consumption (VOz) rapidly is correlated with a lesser dependence on anaerobic sources than observed in other crab species. Accelerated glycolysis contributed at the onset of submaximal exercise, before O2 uptake adjustments were completed, but played only a minor role during steady-state exercise. O. quadrata elevated VOz 6*4- to 8-fold above resting rates. The ghost crab's maximal oxygen consumption (VO2mlx) was not different from that of a