From tadpole to adult frog locomotion

Sillar KT(1), Simmers J(2), Combes D(2).

Author information:
(1)School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Marys
Quad., St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AP, Scotland. Electronic address:
.
(2)Institut des Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine, CNRS UMR
5287, Université de Bordeaux, 33706 Bordeaux, France.

The transition from larval to adult locomotion in the anuran, Xenopus laevis,
involves a dramatic switch from axial to appendicular swimming including
intermediate stages when the tail and hindlimbs co-exist and contribute to
propulsion. Hatchling tadpole swimming is generated by an axial central pattern
generator (CPG) which matures rapidly during early larval life. During
metamorphosis, the developing limbs are controlled by a de novo appendicular CPG
driven initially by the axial system before segregating to allow both systems to
operate together or independently. Neuromodulation plays important roles
throughout, but key modulators switch their effects from early inhibitory
influences to facilitating locomotion. Temperature affects the construction and
operation of locomotor networks and global changes in environmental temperature
place aquatic poikilotherms, like amphibians, at risk. The locomotor control
strategy of anurans differs from other amphibian groups such as salamanders,
where evolution has acted upon the thyroid hormone pathway to sculpt different
developmental outcomes.

Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors
declare no competing interests that could have appeared to influence the work
reported in this paper.

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