LIGHTON, J.R.B.; Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas: The discontinuous gas exchange cycle in tracheate arthropods: Overview, status and controversies. The discontinuous gas exchange cycle or DGC decouples O2 uptake and CO2 emission in tracheate arthropods, including many insects as well as argasid and ixodid acarines, sulphugids and scolopendromorph chilopods. Partial pressures gradients of O2 across […]

LEASE, Hilary M.; WOLF, Blair O.; HARRISON, Jon F.; Univ. of New Mexico; Univ. of New Mexico; Arizona State Univ.: Ontogeny of Tracheal Volume in Schistocerca americana Respiratory systems play a critical intermediary role in the delivery of oxygen from the atmosphere to the cell. Morphological and functional characteristics of respiratory systems thus are often […]

BRADLEY, T.J.; Univ. of California, Irvine: Discontinuous Gas Exchange in Insects Serves to Keep Oxygen Out The respiratory system of insects is composed of a branching system of cuticle-lined tracheae. At the external openings of the tracheal system, spiracular valves control the degree of gas exchange between the tracheal lumina and the external atmosphere. Many […]

WOODS JR, W. A.*; WOOD, C. A. L. ; STEVENSON, R. D. ; University of Massachusetts Boston; Lincoln, MA; University of Massachusetts Boston: Detecting Interindividual Variation in Resting Metabolic Rate of the Painted Lady Butterfly Vanessa Cardui: Why You Should Not Offer Ladies Lunch Questions about the adaptive significance of metabolic rate can be approached […]

RASCON, B*; HARRISON, JF; Arizona State University; Arizona State University: Atmospheric oxygen effects on metabolic rate and behavior of tethered flying locusts Insects are known to exhibit a high tolerance to hypoxia. Prior studies have shown that the critical atmospheric PO2 (Pc) for carbon dioxide emission for resting grasshoppers is less than 5 kPa, which […]

DAVIS, R. L.; STEINMAN, M. *; JOHNSON, K. B.; Florida Institute of Technology: The Responses of Marine Invertebrate Larvae to Predator Chemical Cues in the Laboratory We are exposing marine invertebrate larvae to water-borne signals from planktonic and benthic predators as the larvae approach metamorphic competence. In predator treatments, living predators are included in larval […]

DEAL, K. J.; JOHNSON, K. B.*; Florida Institute of Technology: The Effects of Food Level and Trophic Copper on the Development and Metamorphosis of Lytechinus variegatus Larvae Pluteus larvae of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus were raised on algae contaminated by a range of toxic copper concentrations (free Cu2+). The microalga Rhodomonas lens, after being […]

RUGGIERO, R.P*; VON KALM, L.; University of Central Florida; University of Central Florida: Genetic analysis of the intersection between ecdysone and intracellular signaling during Drosophila leg and wing morphogenesis Epithelial morphogenesis is a critical process in the metamorphosis of holometabolis insects, and the product of coordinated endocrine, paracrine, and intracellular signaling events. Our work, and […]

INFANTE, C.R.; Harvard University: Deiodinases and the control of metamorphosis in the carnivorous larvae of the anuran Lepidobatrachus laevis Anuran metamorphosis is one of the most extreme processes in vertebrate development. Typically it transforms a microphagous, herbivorous, aquatic larva into a macrophagous, terrestrial adult. This process is dependent on thyroid hormone (TH), which initiates – […]

HANDRIGAN, G.R.; HAAS, A.; WASSERSUG, R.J.*; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada; University of Hamburg, Germany; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada: Bony-tailed tadpoles: The form, function, and fate of supernumerary caudal vertebrae in anurans The anuran axial skeleton consists of no more than 9 presacral vertebrae, a single sacral vertebra, and a coccyx fused with the urostyle. The […]