11/10/2015

nerve
axon T-tubule Muscle
glial
sheath
Ultrastructure
I -band
neural
lamella Z-disc
I -band actin
nerve/ molecule
muscle (filament)
junction
A-band
myosin
H-band filament

A-band
nucleus heads
(many/cell) forming
I -band cross-bridges
basement
membrane

mitochondria Z-disc actin filaments

sarcolemma
fibrils (myofibrils)

muscle fiber
(= muscle cell)

Flight myosin Visceral

filaments
muscle muscle

I. Muscle fiber (or muscle cell)

Muscle Ultrastructure II:

fiber (cell), myofibrils,
sarcomeres & myofilaments
II. Fibril (myofibril) (the sarcomere is
Sarcomere
the “contractile element”)

Muscle contraction:
M 1. Nerve impulse
A
2. Neurosecretion of acetylcholine
M
A 3. local voltage change across muscle
M membrane (sarcolemma)
4. chemical changes in muscle:
a. flooding in of Ca++ into muscle
b. changes bonding of actin & myosin
5. CONTRACTION
X-sec: III. Myofilaments (M & A)

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Organization: fibers (cells), units, & muscles

unit

muscle fibers (cells)

(these contain the
sarcoplasm “contractile elements”

fast
only
innervation
double
innervation

“slow”
fiber axon
(cell)
triple innervation
(third fiber = inhibitory)
“fast”
axon
muscle unit
(the “operational element”)
• Includes 1-20 cells/fibers.
muscles • Innervated by a major axon pair.
the “functional • Separated by tracheoles &
elements” (>1500) tracheoblasts.

Muscle attachments
Muscle attachment
epicuticle in caddisfly naiad
procuticle tonofibrillae

epicuticle
epidermis
procuticle
tonofibrillae
basement
membrane
microtubules
sarcolemma

muscle

The trick is attaching muscle

(mesoderm) to cuticle (ectoderm),
e.g. what if tonofibrillae were shed
at molting? (they’re resistant to
molting fluid).
Made of tough, fibrous protein.

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Muscle types
Tubular
(Odonata; Dictyoptera)
Close packed
(Orthoptera; Lepidoptera)
myofibril

mitochondrion nucleus

nucleus mitochondria

myofibril

Fibrillar mitochondria
FLIGHT (& giant desmosomes )
(Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, MUSCLE Visceral
Diptera, Hemiptera)
(one cell (all orders)
myofibril shown)

nucleus nucleus
mitochondria (one/cell)
myofibrils

(Muscle types – better pictures) Close packed

flight muscle
(Lepidoptera)

leg of Vespa
(Hymenoptera)

Tubular

Fibrillar
flight muscle
flight muscle (Coleoptera)
(Odonata)

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Muscle innervation – single, double, & triple

unit

Double innervation
(common in the invertebrates, where # of muscle
units is small resulting in less control)

sarcoplasm muscle fibers (cells)

fast
only
innervation
double
innervation

“slow”
fiber axon
(cell)
Triple innervation
(third fiber = inhibitory)
“fast”
axon
muscle unit

Differentiated by the nature of post-synaptic

potential and hence the nature of the muscle twitch.

Post-synaptic potentials; nerve impulses/sec

post-synaptic potential

post-synaptic potential

FAST AXON SLOW AXON

+20 nerve impulse +20 nerve impulse

latent period
0 t 0 t
mV mV

-60 -60
SLOW WALKING FAST WALKING
80
30
impulses/sec

impulses/sec

60
20
40
10

0 20
(mutual
inhibition) flexor extensor
0
resonant frequency extensor driving flexor driving
nerve
impulse FLIGHT MUSCLE
Slow axon’s major effect is
to delay relaxation of the
muscle (e.g., hydrostatic)
click

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“Slower” wing-beat frequencies (Odonata & Lepidoptera)

Dragonfly (25-30 beats per sec)

“synchronous muscle” (pink-spotted hawk moth, Agrius cingulata)

1:1 nerve:muscle

Sphinx moths (100 beats per sec)

Faster wing-beat frequencies (Hymenoptera)

“asynchronous muscle”
1 impulse:many contractions

Bumble bees and honey bees

(190-250 bps)

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Fastest wing-beat frequencies (Diptera)

Fruit fly (200-300 bps)

Mosquito (278-307 bps in Culex)

“asynchronous” Midge (1046 bps)

Tymbal of cicadas (Hemiptera): 200–500 contractions/sec

“asynchronous”

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Strength of insects

Mothra versus Godzilla

(1961)

(1993) – featuring “MAnt”

A giant ant from the 1950’s.

35-175 watts/kg, insects
15-17 watts/kg, humans
(power, not force, is exceptional) Half man! Half ant!

Generalized insect nervous system (CNS & VNS)

VNS
• innervates internal
organs & viscera
• hormones

CNS

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Centralization of CNS

Apterygota
(unspecialized)
e.g. 8 abdominal
ganglia

Examples of consolidated CNS’s

Hydrophilidae Lucanidae Muscidae

Diptera

Coleoptera

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ocelli
frontal nerve (to cibarium)
compound eye
PROTOCEREBRUM
lateral connectives
neurosecretory cells
DEUTOCEREBRUM
frontal ganglion BRAIN

TRITOCEREBRUM
frontal connective with tritocerebrum
labral nerve

recurrent nerve
postesophageal (paraesophageal) commissures
corpus cardiacum
circumesophageal connective
hypocerebral ganglion to mandible
BLUE = VNS corpus allatum to maxilla RED = CNS
to labium & hypopharynx
SUBESOPHAGEAL GANGLION

ventricular (ingluvial) ganglion

ventral nerve cord (paired)

PRO- to anterior body wall

THORACIC to leg
GANGLION
to posterior body wall
to spiracle & alary muscles
MESO-
to anterior body wall
THORACIC to wing
GANGLION
to leg
to posterior body wall
to spiracle & alary muscles
(metathoracic ganglion and
abdominal ganglia not shown)
CAUDAL GANGLION

caudal nerve