Straight walking and turning on a slippery surface

SUMMARY In stick insects, walking is the result of the co-action of different pattern generators for the single legs and coordinating inter-leg influences. We have used a slippery surface setup to understand the role the local neuronal processing in the thoracic ganglia plays in the ability of the animal to show turning movements. To achieve this, we removed the influence of mechanical coupling through the ground by using the slippery surface and removed sensory input by the successive amputation of neighboring legs. We analyzed the walking pattern of the front, middle and hind legs of tethered animals mounted above the surface and compared the kinematics of the straight walking legs with those of the curve walking inside and outside legs. The walking pattern was monitored both electrically through tarsal contact measurement and optically by using synchronized high-speed video. The vectors of leg movement are presented for the intact and a reduced preparation. Animals showed the ability to walk in a coordinated fashion on the slippery surface. Upon change from straight to curve walking, the stride length for the inside legs shortens and the vector of movement of the inner legs changes to pull the animal into the curve, while the outer legs act to pull and push it into the turn. In the reduced two-leg and in the single-leg preparation the behavior of the legs remained largely unchanged in the behavioral contexts of straight walking or turning with only small changes in the extreme positions. This suggests that the single stepping legs perform given motor programs on the slippery surface in a fashion that is highly independent not only of mechanical coupling between but also of the presence of the other legs.