BIOL 153 Lecture Notes - Intercalated Disc, Cardiac Muscle
Document Summary
Maintenance of posture: very important to humans as we walk on 2 feet (v. rare in mammals) Production of body heat: skeletal muscles account for 50% of body heat generated at rest, can be stepped up very dramatically, shivering: minute uncontrolled contractions of skeletal muscles that generate a lot of heat. Communication: not just for speaking but body language as well. Heart beat: muscles pump the blood around the body, cardiac muscle is unique. Ability of a muscle to shorten with force, this is actually a very big deal as this is relatively new in the evolutionary pathway. Capacity of muscle to respond to a stimulus. Muscle can be stretched to its normal resting length and beyond to a limited degree, beyond that degree they rip because the cells exoskeleton is not able to hold its shape- but it is very high degree of extensibility.
