The effects of temperature on elastic energy storage and release in a system with a dynamic mechanical advantage latch

Changes in temperature alter muscle kinetics and in turn affect whole-organism performance. Some organisms use the elastic recoil of biological springs, structures which are far less temperature sensitive, to power thermally robust movements. For jumping frogs, the use of elastic energy in tendons is facilitated through a geometric latching mechanism that operates through dynamic changes in the mechanical advantage (MA) of the hindlimb. Despite the well-documented use of elastic energy storage, frog jumping is a locomotor behavior that is significantly affected by changes in temperature. Here, we used an in vitro muscle preparation interacting in real time with an in silico model of a legged jumper to understand how changes in temperature affect the flow of energy in a system using a MA latch. We used the plantaris longus muscle–tendon unit (MTU) to power a virtual limb with changing MA and a mass being accelerated through a real-time feedback controller. We quantified the amount of energy stored in and recovered from elastic structures and the additional contribution of direct muscle work after unlatching. We found that temperature altered the duration of the energy loading and recovery phase of the in vitro/in silico experiments. We found that the early phase of loading was insensitive to changes in temperature. However, an increase in temperature did increase the rate of force development, which in turn allowed for increased energy storage in the second phase of loading. We also found that the contribution of direct muscle work after unlatching was substantial and increased significantly with temperature. Our results show that the thermal robustness achieved by an elastic mechanism depends strongly on the nature of the latch that mediates energy flow, and that the relative contribution of elastic and direct muscle energy likely shapes the thermal sensitivity of locomotor systems.