EIDIETIS, L; University of Michigan: The affect of wood frog tadpole (Rana sylvatica) plastic morphology on predator (dragonfly nymph, Anax junius) strike behavior Wood frog tadpoles, Rana sylvatica, show predator induced morphological plasticity correlated with a survival advantage under predation. Predator induced morphology is hypothesized to increase survival by shifting the frequency of predator strikes […]

VEZINA, F.*; SALVANTE, K.G.; WILLIAMS, T.D.; Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada: The Metabolic Cost of Avian Egg Formation: Possible Impact of Yolk Precursors Production? The metabolic cost of egg production in birds is poorly understood. Previous work done by our lab with European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) showed a 22% increase in resting metabolic rate […]

JOHNSON, Z. C.*; SZULGIT, G. K.; Hiram College; Hiram College: Testing for the presence of mutable collagenous tissue in the digestive tract of the sea cucumber, Parastichopus parvimensis. We examined the digestive tract of the holothurian (sea cucumber) Parastichopus parvimensis to determine whether or not it could be considered to be a mutable collagenous tissue […]

FLANNERY, J.A.*; MARTIN, K.L.M.; Pepperdine Univ.; Pepperdine Univ.: Temperature Sensitivity and Stages of Grunion Egg Development The California grunion Leuresthes tenuis is a marine fish that deposits its eggs in beach sand by emerging from the ocean to spawn at high tides. The eggs remain out of water in this moist terrestrial environment throughout incubation. […]

MCPHERSON, D.R.; SUNY at Geneseo: Temperature Effects on Skeletal Muscle Contraction: an Investigative Lab in Animal Physiology It is often difficult for students to concretely link macroscopic events (e.g., muscle contraction) to their underlying molecular mechanisms (e.g., enzyme activity). The laboratory exercise presented here uses the effects of temperature on muscle contraction to encourage students […]

WADA, H.*; HAHN, T.P.; BREUNER, C.W.; University of Texas, Austin; University of California, Davis; University of Texas, Austin: Stress and development: the role of corticosteroid binding globulin in regulating free corticosterone levels in nestling and fledgling white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) Elevation of corticosterone (CORT) in response to acute stressors can redirect physiology and behavior […]

AL-HABSI, A. A.; ALKINDI, A.Y.A.; MAHMOUD, I. Y.; KHAN, H.; Sultan Qaboos Univ., Dept. of Biology, Al-Khod, Oman ; Sultan Qaboos Univ., Dept. of Biology, Al-Khod, Oman; Sultan Qaboos Univ., Dept. of Biology, Al-Khod, Oman; Canad. Mem. Chiropractic Coll., Toronto, Canada: Steroid levels in relationship to nesting phases in the green turtle, Chelonia mydas at […]

NICKEL, M.*; BECKMANN, F.; Biological Institute of University Stuttgart, Germany; HASYLAB at DESY, Hamburg, Germany: Sponge skeletons in 3D: Synchrotron x-ray computed microtomography (�CT) as a tool for functional morphology and taxonomy Sponges (Porifera) possess a mineral skeleton made of siliceous or calcareous spicules. The types of spicules as well as their orientation inside the […]

CARRINGTON, E.*; HELMUTH, B.; MOORE, S.; University of Rhode Island, Kingston; University of South Carolina, Columbia; California State University, Monterey Bay: Spectral properties of intertidal organisms: reflections on the role of color. Body temperature is thought to be one of the most important determinants of physiological performance in the rocky intertidal zone, often dictating the […]

MCCLARY, JR., M.; Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ: Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis as habitat for the ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn) In areas where the cordgrass Spartina alterniflora and the invasive common reed Phragmites australis exist, P. australis is often regarded as the salt marsh grass that is less populated by fauna than that […]