Meeting Abstract S10-0  Tuesday, Jan. 7 07:45 – 08:00  Introduction to Melding Modeling and Morphology WALDROP, LD*; RADER, JA; Chapman University; UNC Chapel Hill waldrop@chapman.edu http://waldroplab.com Biomechanics seeks to understand the form and function of organisms. Researchers have largely taken two tacks toward this goal: 1) observing and modeling representative organisms to infer form based on function, […]

Meeting Abstract S10-6  Tuesday, Jan. 7 11:00 – 11:30  How Predictable and Correlated are Patterns of Form-Function Evolution? MUNOZ, MM*; ANDERSON, PSL; HU, Y; PATEK, SN; CAMARILLO, H; Yale University; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Brown; Duke University; Yale University martha.munoz@yale.edu Mechanical relationships shape how organisms can move, feed, and reproduce, thus impacting all aspects of evolutionary fitness. […]

Meeting Abstract S10-3  Tuesday, Jan. 7 09:00 – 09:30  Fluid-structure interaction for the people! BATTISTA, NA; The College of New Jersey battistn@tcnj.edu http://battistn.pages.tcnj.edu Hearts, jellyfish, seagrass, and general squishy things all have something in common – they all involve fluid-structure interactions (FSI). FSI applications are numerous and vital in many fields across science and engineering. While there […]

Meeting Abstract S10-11  Tuesday, Jan. 7 15:00 – 15:30  Disentangling intrinsic and extrinsic factors underlying anuran postcranial skeleton evolution WOMACK, MC; National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC molly.womack@usu.edu https://womacklab.com Many extrinsic factors (habitat, biotic interactions, etc.) and intrinsic factors (phylogenetic history, size constraints, etc.) affect the morphological evolution of a lineage, making it difficult to disentangle […]

HIRSCH, A.M.: What are the Conserved Elements in Symbiotic Associations between Plants and Microbes? The nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Rhizobiaceae and legumes is one of the best-studied interactions established between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Dinitrogen is fixed into ammonia by rhizobia and made available to theplant in exchange for carbon. The plant also develops root nodules that […]

Esch, G.; Barger, M.; Fellis, J.: Transmission of Parasitic Helminths: Style, Elegance, Complexity Traditionall, the field of parasitology has dealt with eukaryotic animals, to the exclusion of viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc., which is the way we will approach our presentation. Our focus will be on certain ecological aspects of the life cycles and life-history strategies […]

KARR, T.L.: The microbe that roared: Wolbachia rescue of a lethal Drosophila mutation Wolbachia is an intracellular microbe harbored by a wide variety of arthropods including Drosophila. By unknown mechanisms, Wolbachia alters host reproductive biology usually to increase its representation within a population. In Drosophila, Wolbachia is closely associated with gametic incompatibility and has undergone […]

SAFFO, M.B.: Symbiosis: a Complex and Delicate Balance Symbiotic associations are intimate associations among two or more species. Such interspecific intimacy can have diverse evolutionary outcomes, ranging from antagonistic interactions (parasitisms and pathogenic associations) to mutualistic ones. Even when well understood (and many are not), the dynamics of many symbiotic associations resist simple definition. Many […]

BREZNAK, J.A.: Phylogenetic Diversity and Physiology of Termite Gut Spirochetes Spirochetes are major members of the termite gut microbiota, accounting for up to 50% of all the prokaryotes present. However, our understanding of them has been meager, as none had ever been isolated in pure culture since first being observed in termite guts over a […]

Mackie, R.I.: Mutualistic Fermentative Digestion in the Gastrointestinal Tract:Diversity and Evolution Animals of a wide range of orders or classes have a portion of their digestive system adapted to accommodate a fermentation, which assists in digestion as well as providing a varietyof other benefits. Because of the refractory nature of the plant cell wall and […]