The ability to efficiently move over uneven terrain is critical for most terrestrial animals. Bipedal running is common in lizard species, however the biological advantage of a bipedal running posture remains uncertain. I examined the hypothesis that a bipedal posture is advantageous when crossing obstacles. Particularly, I determined whether kinematic adjustments differ among four focal species with contrasting body forms and ecology. I also examined how sprint speed changed when crossing obstacles with a quadrupedal versus a bipedal posture. I quantified kinematics from high-speed video (300 frames/second) of lizards running down a 3m runway both with and without the presence of an obstacle. Among species, I observed high variation in kinematics, locomotor performance and behavior when crossing obstacles. Within species, mean forward speed (velocity) and kinematics did not change between treatments when employing a bipedal posture. However among species, kinematics differed when using a bipedal posture indicating morphological variation influences how a species utilizes a bipedal posture. Overall, my study suggests an advantage in a bipedal posture when faced with obstacles.
","abstract_html":"<p>The ability to efficiently move over uneven terrain is critical for most terrestrial animals. Bipedal running is common in lizard species, however the biological advantage of a bipedal running posture remains uncertain. I examined the hypothesis that a bipedal posture is advantageous when crossing obstacles. Particularly, I determined whether kinematic adjustments differ among four focal species with contrasting body forms and ecology. I also examined how sprint speed changed when crossing obstacles with a quadrupedal versus a bipedal posture. I quantified kinematics from high-speed video (300 frames/second) of lizards running down a 3m runway both with and without the presence of an obstacle. Among species, I observed high variation in kinematics, locomotor performance and behavior when crossing obstacles. Within species, mean forward speed (velocity) and kinematics did not change between treatments when employing a bipedal posture. However among species, kinematics differed when using a bipedal posture indicating morphological variation influences how a species utilizes a bipedal posture. Overall, my study suggests an advantage in a bipedal posture when faced with obstacles.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Self, Jessica"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ray Chandler","Michelle Cawthorn"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:17Z","subjects":["ETD","Locomotor performance","Kinematics","Morphology","Lizards","Biology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/10","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ray Chandler","Michelle Cawthorn"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Self, Jessica"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-07-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Locomotor performance","Kinematics","Morphology","Lizards","Biology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/10"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The ability to efficiently move over uneven terrain is critical for most terrestrial animals. Bipedal running is common in lizard species, however the biological advantage of a bipedal running posture remains uncertain. I examined the hypothesis that a bipedal posture is advantageous when crossing obstacles. Particularly, I determined whether kinematic adjustments differ among four focal species with contrasting body forms and ecology. I also examined how sprint speed changed when crossing obstacles with a quadrupedal versus a bipedal posture. I quantified kinematics from high-speed video (300 frames/second) of lizards running down a 3m runway both with and without the presence of an obstacle. Among species, I observed high variation in kinematics, locomotor performance and behavior when crossing obstacles. Within species, mean forward speed (velocity) and kinematics did not change between treatments when employing a bipedal posture. However among species, kinematics differed when using a bipedal posture indicating morphological variation influences how a species utilizes a bipedal posture. Overall, my study suggests an advantage in a bipedal posture when faced with obstacles.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effects of Locomotor Posture on Kinematics, Performance and Behavior during Obstacle Negotiation in Lizards"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ray Chandler","Michelle Cawthorn"],"dc:creator":["Self, Jessica"],"dc:date.available":["2013-07-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The ability to efficiently move over uneven terrain is critical for most terrestrial animals. Bipedal running is common in lizard species, however the biological advantage of a bipedal running posture remains uncertain. I examined the hypothesis that a bipedal posture is advantageous when crossing obstacles. Particularly, I determined whether kinematic adjustments differ among four focal species with contrasting body forms and ecology. I also examined how sprint speed changed when crossing obstacles with a quadrupedal versus a bipedal posture. I quantified kinematics from high-speed video (300 frames/second) of lizards running down a 3m runway both with and without the presence of an obstacle. Among species, I observed high variation in kinematics, locomotor performance and behavior when crossing obstacles. Within species, mean forward speed (velocity) and kinematics did not change between treatments when employing a bipedal posture. However among species, kinematics differed when using a bipedal posture indicating morphological variation influences how a species utilizes a bipedal posture. Overall, my study suggests an advantage in a bipedal posture when faced with obstacles.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/10"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Locomotor performance","Kinematics","Morphology","Lizards","Biology","Ecology and Evolutionary Biology"],"dc:title":["The Effects of Locomotor Posture on Kinematics, Performance and Behavior during Obstacle Negotiation in Lizards"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:26:17Z"}