Meeting Abstract

P3.74  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Utility of the Amphibian Anatomical Ontology for Interdisciplinary Research SHEARMAN, Rebecca M; LEOPOLD, Jennifer L; MAGLIA, Anne M*; Wesleyan University; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Missouri University of Science and Technology magliaa@mst.edu

AmphibAnat (www.amphibanat.org) and the associated Amphibian Anatomical Ontology (AAO) provide a means to assemble and formalize the vocabularies for amphibian anatomy, embryology, and taxonomy. As biology becomes increasingly more integrative, AmphibAnat is a powerful tool for addressing interdisciplinary questions. AmphibAnat is an obvious resource for studying the anatomy and phylogeny of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians, but it’s utility extends both beyond strict morphological studies and beyond amphibians. Typical developmental and gene expression studies use model organisms such as the mouse, chick, frog, or zebrafish. But whether using the mouse to understand humans or reconciling information about various model organisms, data must be placed in an evolutionary framework to understand their significance. As basal tetrapods, the out-group to amniotes, and the link between zebrafish and chicks/mice, amphibians are critical to establishing the evolutionary context for research involving many model organisms. For example, a large amount of developmental and genetic information is available for Xenopus laevis/X. tropicalis, as well as the emerging salamander model, the axolotl. The anatomy of these animals is included in AmphibAnat, and this represents a critical first step to linking genotype and phenotype in amphibians. Here in we provide examples demonstrating the utility of AmphibAnat for studies in comparative anatomy, evolution, development and molecular biology.