Meeting Abstract

S3.2  Monday, Jan. 4  Evolution of morphological and functional novelties among invertebrate larvae – opportunities and limitations EMLET, R.B.; University of Oregon remlet@uoregon.edu

Marine invertebrate larvae are well known for their distinctive forms, many of which typify different clades at various hierarchical levels (e.g. gastropod veliger, asteroid bipinaria, actinotroch of phoronids, ascidian tadpole). Also well known is the flexibility within many groups where feeding larvae are replaced by nonfeeding larvae or encapsulated development. Diagnostic larval forms and their derived relatives represent novelties of various ages and that have a variety of consequences. Larval forms that feed on algal cells vary less within clades than those that feed on larger prey. Transitions to nonfeeding often involve simplification of form, increased swimming speeds, and increases of size at metamorphosis. Convergence is common for nonfeeding forms within clades and also occurs to a lesser extent across taxa.