RICHMOND, Jonathan; Univ. of Connecticut: A case for parallel speciation in North American Scincid Lizards Parallel speciation is a special case of homoplasy where traits determining mating compatibility evolve repeatedly in separate lineages experiencing similar environments. The outcome of such parallel evolution is that ecologically divergent but closely related populations show higher levels of reproductive […]

GURALNICK, Robert P; University of Colorado: A COMPARATIVE APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF MOLLUSC-DIGENEAN SIZE RELATIONSHIPS: A CASE STUDY WITH ALLOCREADIID TREMATODES AND CYCLOCALYX CLAMS Allocreadiid flukes often parasitize and castrate sphaeriid freshwater clams. The effects of parasitic castrators on host population life history can lead to earlier reproductive onset, changes in body […]

HYDE, Martha L.*; PARRA, Laura G.; West Texas A&M Univ., Canyon; West Texas A&M Univ., Canyon: Theoretical Aspects of Bipedal Locomotion in Kangaroo Rats: Comparison of Field and Laboratory Locomotion with Respect to Neural Control Mechanisms Infrared films (taken with a PC164C-EX Infrared camera and CML4IR Intelligent IR Lens, Supercircuits, http://www.supercircuits.com/) of bipedal locomotion in […]

UYENO, T.A.*; KIER, W.M.; Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: The muscle articulation in polychaetes and cephalopods: joints made of multifunction muscle Joints allow relative movement between rigid structural elements (termed links). There are two categories found in animals: sliding and flexible joints. Sliding joints (e.g. vertebrate articulated joints) transmit compressional forces directly between contacting […]

REVZEN, S.*; KODITSCHEK, D.E.; FULL, R.J.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Testing Feedforward Control Models In Rapid Running Insects Using Large Perturbations Sensory feedback dominates limb coordination in walking. By contrast, insects are capable of stable running over rough surfaces with no detectable change in motor output to […]

DUDEK, DM*; DASTOOR, S; FULL, RJ; Univ. of California, Berkeley: RAPID RECOVERY FROM AN IMPULSE PERTURBATION TO A LEG IN RUNNING INSECTS Insects frequently run across unstructured environments, such as leaf litter, with little degradation in performance. Cockroaches rapidly traverse rough terrain with obstacles up to three times their hip height with no detectable change […]

PARRA, Laura G.*; HYDE, Martha L.; West Texas A&M Univ., Canyon; West Texas A&M Univ., Canyon: Characterization of Bipedal Locomotion While Feeding in Kangaroo rats in the Natural Habitat Kangaroo rats of the species Dipodomys ordii were filmed in their natural habitat at Alibates Quarry, Texas using an infrared camera. A 100 cm x 50cm […]

GOLDMAN, Daniel I.*; CHEN , Tao C.; FULL, Robert J.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley: A Template for Rapid Vertical Climbing Inverted pendulum and spring-mass templates exist for walking and running, respectively, but no such low parameter, general model exists for rapid vertical climbing. Surprisingly, rapid vertical climbing […]

Meeting Abstract 11.5  Jan. 4  Regulation of interrenal steroidogenic mRNAs in the elasmobranchs Dasyatis sabina and Potamotrygon motoro EVANS, A.N.*; IP, Y.K.; NUNEZ, B.S.; University of Texas Marine Science Institute; National University of Singapore; University of Texas Marine Science Institute aevans@utmsi.utexas.edu The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is critical for the production of steroid hormones, delivering cholesterol […]

Meeting Abstract 11.3  Jan. 4  Rainbow Trout Possess Two Proinsulin-Encoding mRNAs that are Differentially Expressed CARUSO*, M.A.*; SHERIDAN, M.A.; North Dakota State Univ., Fargo Michael.Caruso@ndsu.edu Insulin plays an important role in the growth, development, and metabolism of vertebrates. Growing evidence suggests that some species of vertebrates possess two insulin genes; however, the phylogenetic distribution and the physiological […]