HUTCHINSON, J.R.*; FAMINI, D.; KRAM, R.; LAIR, R.: Do elephants run? We have recorded Asian elephants moving 50% faster than any previous documented report. Our kinematic data range from 0.5 m/sec to 6.1 m/sec for 16 individuals spanning ~500 – 5000kg body mass. Even at the fastest speeds, these elephants did not change their footfall […]

MITCHELL, RM; MAIN, R; BIEWENER, AA; Harvard University: Scaling Patterns in Avian Limb Bone Development The lengths and diameters of avian limb bone elements increase rapidly throughout ontogeny. Allometric scaling patterns could act to increase material strength or the size of limb elements experiencing greater stresses as mass increases and/or different limbs are used in […]

ETNIER, S.A.*; PABST, D.A.; MCLELLAN, W.A.; University of North Carolina, Wilmington: Ontogenetic increases in the structural stiffness (“EI”) of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Fetal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are bent laterally with the tail flukes and throat juxtaposed, requiring tremendous flexibility of the axial skeleton and associated soft tissues. Immediately upon birth, neonatal dolphins must […]

CHRISTIANS, JK *; BINGHAM, V; KEIGHTLEY, PD; University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Fine-mapping of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting skeletal size in mice Many traits of medical, agricultural or evolutionary significance show continuous variation (e.g., body size), rather than having discrete, one-or-the-other states (e.g., blood types). In recent years, numerous studies have used molecular […]

BOWEN, K.D.; Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant: Changes in Body Size and Color Pattern of the Northern Water Snake, Nerodia sipedon sipedon Relatively small Nerodia sipedon sipedon possess a striking dorsal pattern, while relatively large snakes often have a more uniform dorsal coloration. Past researchers have hypothesized that this color shift occurs through a darkening […]

ROSENBLUM, Erica Bree*; HOEKSTRA, Hopi E.; NACHMAN, Michael W.; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Diego; University of Arizona: Reptile Color Variation and Mc1r Recent advances in understanding the genetics of pigmentation make color variation a tractable system to study the molecular basis for ecologically relevant traits across vertebrates. Here, we evaluate the […]

MYERS, E.M.; JANZEN, F.J.; ADAMS, D.C.; Iowa State University; Iowa State University; Iowa State University: Quantitive Genetics of Shape Variation in the Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta) Shape variation is widespread in nature and embodies both a response to and a source for evolution and natural selection. To detect microgeographic patterns of shape evolution, one must […]

PLACE, Aaron J.; Oklahoma State University: Is the current function of the rattlesnake rattle changing from an auditory to a composite auditory/visual signal? Rattlesnakes are an ideal model system in which to study the evolution of defensive behavior. I tested the hypothesis that large body size, the presence of conspicuous tail banding, and aggressive temperament […]

VAN DAMME, R.; WILSON, R.S.; Univ. of Antwerp, Belgium; Univ. of Queensland, Australia: Human athletes and the evolution of vertebrate locomotor performance It is generally believed that phenotypic evolution is constrained by the conflicting design demands posed by different performance traits. For instance, speed and endurance capacity cannot be maximised simultaneously, because they rely on […]

BARRETO, Felipe/S*; MCCARTNEY, Michael/A; University of North Carolina, Wilmington; University of North Carolina, Wilmington: Assortative Mating and Genetic Differentiation in a Coral Reef Fish Species Flock Morphologically, species of hamlet fish (Hypoplectrus; Serranidae) can only be differentiated by their bright color patterns. Moreover, they lack allozyme differentiation, and show great similarity in allele frequencies at […]