Modulation of pectoralis muscle function in budgerigarsMelopsitaccus undulatusand zebra finchesTaeniopygia guttatain response to changing flight speed

Flight power varies in a U-shaped relationship with flight speed, requiring the modulation of flight muscle power in order to meet these changing power demands. The power output of the pectoralis muscle can potentially be modulated by changing strain trajectory and the relative timing and intensity of muscle activity. Pectoralis muscle length change and activity patterns were recorded in budgerigars Melopsitaccus undulatus and zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata at a range of flight speeds using sonomicrometry and electromyography (EMG). The pectoralis muscles in these species contain a single muscle fibre type. Therefore, the power output is entirely determined by muscle activity and strain trajectory, rather than recruitment of motor units with different contractile properties as in many other vertebrate muscle systems. Relative EMG intensity, wingbeat frequency and muscle strain varied in an approximately U-shaped relationship with flight speed. The shape of the length trajectory varied with flight speed in budgerigars, with the proportion of the cycle spent shortening being lowest at intermediate flight speeds. In zebra finch pectoralis muscle the shape of the length trajectory did not vary significantly with flight speed. In both species the observed changes in muscle recruitment and length trajectory are consistent with meeting flight power requirements that vary in a U-shaped pattern with speed. Both species utilised intermittent flight, tending to spend relatively less time flapping at intermediate flight speeds. This supports the idea that intermittent flight is used as a simple power modulation strategy. However, the idea that intermittent flight serves to maintain a 'fixed gear' is over-simplistic and fails to recognise the plasticity in performance at the level of the muscle. Intermittent flight is only one component of a complex power modulation strategy.