Logan Steele
Muscle is a soft tissue that is one of the four basic types of animal tissue. It is the most plentiful tissue in many animals, making up 40-60% of body mass in some cases. Muscle is formed during embryonic development and is responsible for movement in animals. It is also involved in activities like finding food and reacting to external or internal stimuli. Interestingly, muscle is also capable of producing sound, a phenomenon that has been known and described since 1800. The sound is produced by low-frequency audible vibrations during sustained contraction. This has been observed in both voluntary and electrically stimulated contractions, with the amplitude of the sound increasing linearly with tension.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Muscular sound is a mechanical phenomenon detectable at the surface of an active muscle. |
| History | The phenomenon has been known and described since 1800. |
| Monitoring | The signal from the sound is used to monitor the mechanical aspects of muscle contraction. |
| Muscle types | There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. |
| Muscle structure | Skeletal muscle tissue is an elongated, striated muscle tissue, with the fibres ranging from 3-8 micrometers in width and from 18 to 200 micrometers in breadth. |
| Muscle function | Muscles power the movements of multicellular animals and maintain posture. |
| Muscle composition | Muscle tissue contains special contractile proteins called actin and myosin which interact to cause movement. |
| Muscle innervation | The innervation of muscle cells permits an animal to carry out the normal activities of life. |
| Muscle movement | Movement is the intricate cooperation of muscle and nerve fibres, through which an organism interacts with its environment. |
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What You'll Learn
- Humans and animals make muscle sounds during voluntary and involuntary movements
- Sound-producing muscles in vertebrates operate at frequencies exceeding 100 Hz
- Hydras are simple, multicellular animals with muscles
- Sea anemones have longitudinal and circular muscles that allow them to change shape
- Jellyfishes have weak swimming movements powered by muscle fibres
Humans and animals make muscle sounds during voluntary and involuntary movements
Muscle sounds in humans and animals are produced during voluntary and involuntary movements. These sounds are a result of muscle contractions, which occur when muscle cells convert chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into mechanical energy. The vibrations caused by these contractions can be felt and heard, and they are described as a rumbling sound.
Voluntary movements are essential for the well-being of living animals, and they are accomplished by signals that direct the actions of individual muscles. These signals originate in the cerebral cortex but are modulated by various subcortical structures, including the basal nuclei and the cerebellum. The motor cortex, located in the frontal and parietal lobes, plays a crucial role in controlling voluntary movements. It works in conjunction with the corticospinal and corticonuclear systems to influence the activity of lower motor neurons, which connect the central nervous system to skeletal muscles.
Involuntary movements, on the other hand, are controlled by regions of the brain other than the motor cortex, such as the hypothalamus. These movements can include seizures, muscle tremors, and tics associated with Tourette syndrome and other disorders. Involuntary vocalizations can also occur due to anxiety, gastric distention, and functional neurological issues.
The muscle systems of most multicellular animals consist of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Fast-twitch fibers produce 30 to 70 contractions per second, resulting in powerful and explosive movements. Slow-twitch fibers, on the other hand, are more suited for long-duration movements. The proportion of these fiber types can vary across different organisms and environments, with environmental factors such as diet, exercise, and lifestyle playing a role in determining the fiber composition in humans and animals.
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Sound-producing muscles in vertebrates operate at frequencies exceeding 100 Hz
Sound-producing muscles in vertebrates, also known as sonic muscles, often operate at frequencies exceeding 100 Hz, making them the fastest muscles in vertebrates. These muscles are synchronous, meaning that calcium is released and resequestered by the sarcoplasmic reticulum during each contraction cycle.
To operate at such high frequencies, vertebrate sonic muscles require extreme adaptations. For example, to generate the "boatwhistle" mating call (approximately 200 Hz), the swimbladder muscle fibres of the toadfish have evolved to have a large and very fast calcium transient, a fast cross-bridge detachment rate, and a fast kinetic off-rate of Ca2+ from troponin. The shaker muscle of rattlesnakes has independently evolved similar traits, allowing them to rattle their tails at approximately 90 Hz.
The design of sound-producing muscles varies between different species. For example, the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) has mutually exclusive muscle designs for the power output of its locomotory and sonic muscles. In otophysan fishes, it is common to have two swim bladder chambers, with the anterior swim bladder specialised for hearing and sound production. In contrast, bony fishes use stridulation to produce sounds, with pulses generated by skeletal elements such as teeth, fin rays, or vertebrae rubbing together.
The study of sound-producing muscles in vertebrates has provided valuable insights into the physiology of skeletal muscle and the design of superfast muscles. By understanding the adaptations that allow these muscles to operate at such high frequencies, researchers can explore the potential for creating artificial muscles with enhanced capabilities.
Furthermore, sound production mechanisms in vertebrates are not limited to muscle contractions. For example, in the dracula ant, an extraordinary specialisation of the mandibles is responsible for ultrafast sound production. This highlights the diverse and specialised nature of sound-producing mechanisms in the animal kingdom.
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Hydras are simple, multicellular animals with muscles
Muscle is the most plentiful tissue in many animals, accounting for 40-60% of body mass in some creatures. It is a contractile tissue that allows animals to move and interact with their environment.
Hydras use their muscles to squeeze water out of their gut cavity through their mouth, and they can reinflate using cilia to circulate water into the gut cavity. They can also use their muscles to retract their tentacles and body column into small buds or a gelatinous sphere when alarmed or attacked. Hydras have two methods of moving: looping and somersaulting, where they bend over and attach themselves to a substrate with their mouth and tentacles, then relocate their foot. They can also move by detaching from the substrate and floating away in the current or by amoeboid motion of their bases.
Hydras are unusual in that their life cycle lacks a jellyfish stage, and they are solitary polyps rather than colonial. They are also unique in their regenerative abilities; they do not appear to die or even age, and when cut in half, each half regenerates into a small Hydra, with the 'head' regenerating a 'foot' and vice versa.
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Sea anemones have longitudinal and circular muscles that allow them to change shape
Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. They are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant, due to their colourful appearance. Sea anemones are related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones, and Hydra. They have longitudinal and circular muscles that allow them to change shape dramatically.
The structure of sea anemones typically consists of a columnar trunk topped by an oral disc with a ring of tentacles and a central mouth. The tentacles can be retracted inside the body cavity or expanded to catch prey. The column and tentacles have longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal sheets of muscle that enable them to lengthen and contract, as well as bend and twist. This flexibility allows sea anemones to anchor themselves inside crevices, burrows, or tubes.
The ability to change shape is facilitated by the interaction of longitudinal and circular muscles. When the longitudinal muscles relax, the pharynx opens, and the cilia lining the siphonoglyphs beat, drawing water into the gastrovascular cavity. The sea anemone inflates its body to extend its tentacles and feed, and it deflates when resting or disturbed. This inflation and deflation mechanism is similar to a hydrostatic skeleton, allowing the sea anemone to modify its shape.
The development and behaviour of sea anemones are influenced by their muscle activity. During their early development, sea anemone larvae perform specific gymnastic movements. Deviations in muscle activity or organisation can lead to variations in their normal shape. Additionally, maintaining an active lifestyle as they grow from swimming larvae to sedentary polyps has been observed to impact their body shape. This suggests that sea anemones, like humans, can influence their physical figure through physical activity.
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Jellyfishes have weak swimming movements powered by muscle fibres
Jellyfishes, or Medusae, are among the simplest animals that use muscles to make rhythmic movements. They were the first animals to move using muscle-powered swimming, evolving this strategy over 500 million years ago. The muscle layer they use to swim is just one cell thick, making their swimming movements weak.
Jellyfish swim by contracting their muscle fibres, which reduces the diameter of their bell and forces out a stream of water. The bell then returns to its original shape by the elastic recoil of the gelatinous mesoglea. These movements are performed in a regular rhythm, propelling the jellyfish through the water.
The swimming movements of jellyfish are controlled by a motor nerve net (MNN) that is activated by any or all of eight individual pacemakers. These pacemakers, which are spaced equally along the margin of the bell, generate action potentials that propagate throughout the MNN. The action potentials then activate the local swimming muscles, which deform the elastic mesoglea that maintains the bell form.
The muscle fibres of jellyfish structurally resemble those of vertebrate skeletal muscles. They consist of long fine fibres, each of which is a bundle of finer myofibrils. Within each myofibril are filaments of the proteins myosin and actin, which slide past one another as the muscle contracts and expands. The contraction of jellyfish striated muscle is regulated by Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of the myosin light chain.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle is a soft tissue and one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle.
Yes, muscles make sounds during contraction. These sounds are known as mechanomyographic signals and can be detected at the surface of an active muscle.
Muscle sounds may provide information about the muscle's mechanical model and motor control. They can be used as a tool to understand the muscle's mechanical aspects, along with the physiological force tremor and electromyogram.
The oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) produces sound using its sonic muscles. Sea anemones, hydras, jellyfishes, and other medusae also use their muscles to make rhythmic movements, which likely produce sound.
Yes, human skeletal muscles produce low-frequency audible vibrations during sustained contractions. These sounds can be easily detected using an electronic stethoscope.
