Symposium: Soft bodies, hard jaws: phylogenetic diversity of prey capture and processing in jawed, soft-bodied invertebrates

Jaws are generally defined as a series of rigid, articulated structures that function to grasp, manipulate, and process food at the entrance of an animal’s alimentary canal. However, as evidenced in the literature, an even looser definition of the term might apply when 1) jaw-like structures are far removed from the oral cavity but still function in food manipulation (e.g., Kalyptorhynchia), or 2) when the jaws are derived from internalized appendages (e.g., Onychophora). Jaws have clearly evolved independently in the two main invertebrate lineages, Lophotrochozoa and Ecdysozoa, and even several times independently within each lineage. Altogether, invertebrates as different as flatworms, rotifers, velvet worms, nematodes, mollusks and micrognathozoans may be said to possess jaws of varying size, complexity and homology. In this symposium, we aim to achieve a greater understanding of jaw structure and function in soft-bodied invertebrates by exploring the soft and hard tissues that contribute to jaw composition and mechanics across a wide spectrum of animal diversity. Presentations demonstrate the elemental composition of jaws, how they move, manipulate prey, and provide useful systematic information for interpreting phylogenetic trends in trophic ecology and revealing cryptic species.

Sponsors: AMS, DIZ, SICB

 

Organizers

• Rick Hochberg, University of Massachusetts Lowell, rick_hochberg@uml.edu
• Elizabeth Walsh, University of Texas, El Paso, ewalsh@utep.edu
• Robert Wallace, Ripon College, wallacer@ripon.edu

Speakers

S4.1 Monday, Jan. 5, 08:30 HOCHBERG, R.*; WALSH, E.; WALLACE, R.:

Soft bodies, hard jaws: structure, function and diversity as exemplified by the rotifers

S4.2 Monday, Jan. 5, 09:00 FONTANETO, D.:

Solving complexes of cryptic species by using detailed analyses on jaw morphology in asexual rotifers

S4.3 Monday, Jan. 5, 09:30 BEKKOUCHE, Nicolas T.*; KRISTENSEN, Reinhardt M.; HEJNOL, Andreas; SØRENSEN, Martin V.; WORSAAE, Katrine:

The jaw musculature of Micrognathozoa, function and evolution

S4.4 Monday, Jan. 5, 10:30 SMITH III, Julian P.S.:

When Jaws and Mouth are separate: Functional morphology and evolution of the Kalyptorhynch Proboscis

S4.5 Monday, Jan. 5, 11:00 MAYER, G:

Prey capture, feeding and functional anatomy of jaws in velvet worms (Onychophora)

S4.6 Monday, Jan. 5, 11:30 UYENO, TA*; CLARK, AJ:

Muscle articulations: an assessment of multifunctional jaw joints made of soft tissue

S4.7 Monday, Jan. 5, 13:30 SMYTHE, A.B.:

Small Worms, Big Teeth: Evolution of Feeding Structures in the Marine Nematode Subclass Enoplia

S4.8 Monday, Jan. 5, 14:00 GUIDETTI, Roberto*; VECCHI, Matteo; CESARI, Michele; ALTIERO, Tiziana; BERTOLANI, Roberto; REBECCHI, Lorena:

Pharyngeal structures and piercing stylets in tardigrades: their evolution and relationships with the feeding habits