Meeting Abstract 17-4  Saturday, Jan. 4 11:00 – 11:15  Molluscan Transcriptomes Suggest a More Complex Visual Cycle Homologous to Vertebrates SMEDLEY, GD*; SERB, JM; Iowa State University; Iowa State University gdsmedley13@gmail.com Photoreceptive organs have evolved as many as 65 times over the course of evolutionary history. Interestingly, nearly all light sensitive structures function via the same pathway […]

Meeting Abstract 17-1  Saturday, Jan. 4 10:15 – 10:30  How and why are the blue eyes of scallops blue? HARRIS, OK; KINGSTON, ACN; STEICHMANN, NR; JOHNSEN, S; SPEISER, DI*; University of Cincinnati; University of South Carolina; University of South Carolina; Duke University; University of South Carolina dispeiser@gmail.com http://www.speiserlab.com Many animals produce structural colors, but taxa vary in […]

Meeting Abstract 17-6  Saturday, Jan. 4 11:30 – 11:45  Glare Reduction Properties of Dark Avian Facial Markings LEBOW, CL*; BURT, DB; TAYLOR, J; Stephen F. Austin State University; Stephen F. Austin State University; Stephen F. Austin State University clebow@tds.net Avian facial plumage, bill coloration, and feather microstructure may serve one or more adaptive functions. Several researchers have […]

Meeting Abstract 17-3  Saturday, Jan. 4 10:45 – 11:00  Evolution of Phototransduction Genes in Lepidoptera BRISCOE, AD*; MACIAS-MUñOZ , A; RANGEL-OLGUIN, AG; BRISCOE, Adr; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine abriscoe@uci.edu http://visiongene.bio.uci.edu/Adriana_Briscoe/Briscoe_Lab.html Vision is underpinned by phototransduction, a signaling cascade that converts light energy into an electrical signal. Among insects, phototransduction […]

Meeting Abstract 17-2  Saturday, Jan. 4 10:30 – 10:45  Allometric relationships in the visual ecology of sharks HALL, BE*; BIGMAN, JS; BEDORE, CN; Georgia Southern University; Simon Fraser University; Georgia Southern University bh06426@georgiasouthern.edu Adaptations of visual systems, such as acuity, sensitivity, and eye size (e.g., eye diameter) can be used to infer the relative importance of vision […]

Pedersen, S.P.: The impact of volcanic eruptions on the bat populations of Montserrat, BWI. Hurricanes and volcanic eruptions have had significant impacts upon the bat populations of Montserrat, underlined by the loss of 3 of its 10 species:Chiroderma, Sturnira, Noctilio. Seven surveys have documented population decreases following Hurricane Hugo in ’89 and the Soufriere Hills […]

Judd, T.M.*; Herbers, J.M.: The effects of moisture and time of year on the foraging preferences of the ant Pheidole ceres. Colonies of the ant Pheidole ceres are faced with an environment filled with variable food sources. The colony must be able to allocate its foragers to these food sources in order to maximize its […]

DINKELACKER, S.A.; WILSON, T. P.; HOWARD, J. H.: Spatial Ecology of Syntopic Bog (Clemmys muhlenbergii), Spotted (Clemmys guttata) and Snapping (Chelydra serpentina) Turtles in Maryland I examined differences in home ranges among syntopic species of turtles occurring within a 3-ha wetland in Carroll County, Maryland. I attached radio transmitters to the carapaces of bog (Clemmys […]

ILSE, L.M.*; HELLGREN, E.C.: Porcupines, Pinyon Pines, and Pine Engravers: What’s the Connection? Understanding linkages among different trophic levels is important to the conservation and management of ecosystems. The goal of this research was to test the hypothesis that porcupines, Erethizon dorsatum, predispose the papershell pinyon pine, Pinus remota, a Pleistocene-relict species, to colonization by […]

Smallwood, P.D.*; Terzaghi, W.B.; Steele, M.A.; Carlson, J.E.; Mank, J.E: Further investigations into the interactions between small vertebrates and oaks: An interdisciplinary approach At last year’s meeting, we reported that several species of small vertebrates consistently cache viable acorns of the red oak group much more frequently than those of the white oak group. We […]