Dimensionality of locomotor behaviors in developing C. elegans
Fig 2
C. elegans adult swimming and crawling are distinct gaits.
(a) Schematics of the first two principal eigenworms from adult swimming as shown in Fig 1C. (b) Swimming eigenworm amplitude distributions show a stereotyped ring structure which captures the coordination of swimming eigenworms one and two to produce swimming locomotion in adult C. elegans (n = 43). (c) Schematics of the first two principal eigenworms of adult crawling behavior. (d) Crawling eigenworm amplitude distributions show a stereotyped ring structure of coordination between crawling eigenworms one and two in adult C. elegans (n = 38). (e and f) Polar plots of eigenworm amplitude (b and d) speeds as a function of phase in the ring. Speed data across all animals are plotted as scatter points, and the mean is overlayed. (e) In swimming, speed is bimodal and is slowest when in the “C” shape, or eigenworm one, whereas in crawling (f) the speed is constant along the ring. (g) 3D scatter plot of the first three eigenworm amplitudes from a representative worm tracked during a swimming-to-crawling transition. The ring structure of swimming (blue) is distinct from the ring structure associated with crawling (orange).