BUTLER, M.A.*; University of Tennessee, Knoxville: The physical effects of reproduction on locomotion in the lizard Iguana iguana Reproduction is generally thought to be a vulerable time for females, especially for those who carry a heavy reproductive load. Since many terrerstrial vertebrate taxa rely on running to escape from predators it is paradoxical that many […]

BEMIS, W.E.; GIULIANO, A.; Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst; Univ. of Massachusett, Amherst: Structure, Attachment, Replacement and Growth of Teeth in Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), a Teleost with Deeply Socketed Teeth Tooth replacement poses many questions about development, pattern formation, tooth attachment mechanisms, functional morphology and the evolution of vertebrate dentitions. Although most vertebrate species have polyphyodont […]

COLLAZO, A.*; BRICAUD, O.; KIL, S.-H.; House Ear Institute: Single cell lineage analyses in the developing inner ear: Cellular and molecular contexts The inner ear and its ganglion are derived from an ectodermal thickening called the otic placode. The placode invaginates to form an otic vesicle or otocyst, a seemingly homogeneous sphere of epithelium, which […]

BAUER, A.M.; Villanova University: Phylogenetics and the Evolutionary Morphology of African Lizards Hypotheses of relationship were erected for selected southern African lizard taxa on the basis of morphological and DNA (mitochondrial and nuclear) sequence data. The five independent lineages selected: the Pachydactylus group (Gekkonidae), Meroles (Lacertidae), Typhlosaurus and Scelotes (Scincidae), and the Gerrhosauridae, each exhibit […]

SCHWENK, K.*; SHERBROOKE, W.C.; Univ. of Connecticut; Southwestern Research Station, Amer. Museum of Natural History: Mucus-Binding of Dangerous Prey by Horned Lizards Predator-prey evolutionary arms races are rarer than supposed owing to asymmetry in the strength of selection, and the sensitivity of selection patterns to population dynamics and adaptive trade-offs. Two factors � predator dietary […]

KORFF, W.K.; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Leapin’ Lizards!: A novel locomotor strategy utilized by lizards on sand? Terrestrial animals typically locomote on natural, compliant, substrates, a factor often overlooked in laboratory studies. Dune-dwelling lizards are an informative system for studying locomotion on natural substrates, because life on sand presents unique biomechanical obstacles that may produce […]

MEYER, Axel; University of Konstanz, Germany: Integrative Biology and the Diversification of the Cichlid Fish Species Flocks Cichlid fishes are one of the most species-rich groups of vertebrates. In the three large East-Africa Lakes, Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria they have formed adaptive radiations that each encompass several hundred endemic species. We have investigated the phylogenetic […]

ERICKSON, Gregory, M.; Florida State University: Comparison of exponential-stage growth rates between non-avian dinosaurs and extant vertebrates and its bearing on the evolution of avian growth rates The comparison of growth rates between major vertebrate clades is typically achieved by comparing regressions of exponential-stage growth standardized to body mass. Actinopterygian fish and non-avian reptiles have […]

CRACRAFT, J.; American Museum of Natural History: Being good at science, biopolitics, and mentorship: How to become a Marvalee Wake and move mountains Philosophers and historians of science have pondered the causal dynamics of scientific progress but much of that assessment relies on one’s idea of scientific progress. That can be measured in many ways, […]

DICKIE, Renee; Harvard University: Applications of digital microscopy to comparative vertebrate histology Modern digital imaging has facilitated the quantification and distribution of serial section and moving picture histological data, and this electronic distribution of image data enhances cross-disciplinary interaction. Confocal microscopy, possessing flexible optical platforms and a high rate of image acquisition, allows the study […]