WATERMAN, JM; Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando: Environmental influences on the social system of the Cape ground squirrel, Xerus inauris Characterizing the ecological constraints that influence the structure of social groups is a major task in the study of sociality. In many species, as environmental conditions become more severe or the habitat becomes saturated, the […]

MORETZ, J.A.; MORRIS, M.R.; Ohio University; Ohio University: A comparative analysis of the role of aggression in the evolution of vertical bars in northern swordtail fishes Males of many swordtail species possess vertical bars, a pigment pattern that is found throughout the Xiphophorus genus and other poeciliid fishes. Males use these bars in both courtship […]

HIEBERT, Sara M.; Swarthmore College: Using Learning Journals in the Biology Classroom Learning journals can be an effective pedagogical tool that benefits both faculty and their students. In this presentation, I will describe a simple weekly assignment that 1) helps students review the material covered in class continually so that they can reduce the need […]

ANDERSON-STYGLES, J.P.; ROSS, S.; Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg; Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg: GK-12 and the University of Southern Mississippi: integrating university resources into K-12 classrooms NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) is an education program funded nationally through the National Science Foundation. The program provides support for graduate students of science, […]

MCGUINNESS*, C; WOODIN, S; Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia; Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia: Drosophila and BioLogica: A match made in Heaven or Hell? This research is part of a continuing study on the effectiveness of scaffolding student learning in the concepts of Mendelian genetics by the use of a hypermodel computer software program developed […]

MYERS, M.J.; College of St. Catherine: Competency Plus Excellency: An Evaluation Scheme Aimed at Changing Learning A common way to evaluate student work is to grade each aspect of a course (exam, paper, project), sum the points, and assign a grade based on the percentage of total points earned. In some courses, students are allowed […]

HOESE, W.J.*; WALKER, S.E.; Calif. State Univ. Fullerton: Assessing College Students� Understanding of Insect Diversity Students enter college with non-scientific conceptions about biology. Widespread misconceptions have been identified in students of diverse ages, backgrounds, and experiences. Many of these misconceptions remain resistant to change and frequently continue intact throughout college and beyond. Often these misconceptions […]

WARREN, D.L.*; YOUNG, C.; IGLESIAS, T.; University of California, Davis; University of California, Davis; University of California, Davis: Reevaluating Claims of Ecological Speciation in Halichoeres bivittatus Rocha et al. (2005) hypothesize cryptic speciation across an ecological gradient in the Slippery Dick wrasse (Halichoeres bivittatus), a widely distributed marine fish that occurs from Brazil to the […]

LEE, T.*; � FOIGHIL, D.; Univ. of Michigan; Univ. of Michigan: Placing the Floridian Marine Genetic Disjunction into a Regional Evolutionary Context Using the Scorched Mussel, Brachidontes exustus, Species Complex The well-documented Floridian Gulf/Atlantic genetic disjunction provides an influential example of presumed vicariant cladogenesis along a continental coastline for major elements of a diverse nearshore […]

BELCHER, R.L.; HALANYCH, K.M.*; Auburn University; Auburn University: Phylogeography of ophiuroids from South American and Antarctic waters using mtDNA The isolation of the Antarctic continent has been a driving evolutionary force for Antarctic fauna for ~25 million years. The separation of the Antarctic and South American continents and the onset of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current […]