FAGAN, W.F.; SIEMANN, E; MITTER, C.M.; DENNO, R.F.; HUBERTY, A.F.; WOODS, H.A.; University of Maryland; Rice University; University of Maryland; University of Maryland; University of Maryland; University of Texas: Nitrogen in insects: Implications for trophic complexity and species diversification Disparities in nutrient content (nitrogen and phosphorus) between herbivores and their plant resources have lately proven […]

HARRISON, J.F.*; WOODS, H.A.; FAY, M.L.; PERKINS, M.C.; Arizona State University, Tempe; Univ. of Texas, Austin; Arizona State University, Tempe; Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa: Is phosphate an important nutrient influencing the growth, physiology and behavior of herbivorous insects, or a generally overabundant micronutrient? Studies of the nutritional ecology of herbivorous insects have focused on […]

ELSER, JJ; Arizona State University: Biological stoichiometry from genes to ecosystems: ideas, plans, and realities Biological stoichiometry is the study of the balance of energy and multiple chemical elements in living systems. This approach grows out of work in the arena of aquatic ecosystem science but in our ongoing IRCEB project we are extending these […]

COTNER, J.B.*; MAKINO, W.; HALL, E.K.; Univ. Minnesota- Twin Cities; Kyoto University; Univ. Minnesota- Twin Cities: Biological stoichiometry: From bacteria to ecosystems to global change The growth rate of an organism has been described as a master variable that regulates intra-organismal and intra-cellular processes, but it is also responsive to environmental cues. Therefore, much of […]

WAGNER, G P; STADLER, P ; METSCHER, B; TAKAHASHI, K; AMEMIYA, C; RUDDLE, F; Yale University; University of Leipzig; Southern Indiana University; Yale University; Virigina Mason Research Center; Yale University; ; : The Origin of Tetrapod Limbs: Developmental Evolution meets Molecular Evolution The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life is one of the most dramatic […]

HALL, B. K.; Dalhousie University, Halifax: The Neural Crest: New Germ Layer, Skeletons, and Developmental Processes as Innovations The neural crest (NC) arises embryonically at the boundary between neural and epidermal ectoderm. As a craniate (hagfishes and vertebrates) synapomorphy, the neural crest qualifies as an innovation; in this instance, regarding a new feature as an […]

KRAMER, E. M.; JARAMILLO, M. A.; Harvard University, Cambridge MA; Harvard University, Cambridge MA: The Genetic Basis for Innovations in Floral Organ Identity. One of the most striking features of plants is their completely modular body plan. The basic plant module, the phytomer, is composed of a lateral determinate organ (e.g. a leaf) with its […]

WEST-EBERHARD, M.J.; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Phenotypic Accommodation: Adaptive Innovation Due to Developmental plasticity, With or Without Genetic Change Developmental plasticity, the environmental responsiveness of an organism during ontogenetic change (development), is a universal property of living things. One result of developmental plasticity is phenotypic accommodation, or the automatic mutual adjustment among responsive structures as […]

PRUM, R. O. ; University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS: Mechanisms of Innovation in Evolution of Feathers Feathers are complex integumentary appendages with extraordinary diversity in structure and function. Recent research into the hierarchical and modular nature of feather development and morphology provides new perspectives on the mechanisms of innovation in feather evolution. Feather development and […]

JERNVALL, J.; Univ. of Helsinki, Finland: Mammalian teeth: Grinding innovation The mammalian fossil record, dominated by durable teeth, is relatively complete when compared to other vertebrate groups. Particularly cheek tooth, or molar morphology has played a central role in paleoecological reconstructions. These data have allowed appraisals of the frequency and environmental context in which dental […]