EDWARDS, D.R.*; WOODIN, S.A.: Should worms of a feather stink together? The effects of prey density and aggregation on predator deterrence SHOULD WORMS OF A FEATHER STINK TOGETHER? THE EFFECTS OF PREY DENSITY AND AGGREGATION ON PREDATOR DETERRENCE. D.R. Edwards* and S.A. Woodin. University of South Carolina, Columbia. deirdre@sc.edu Halogenated hydrocarbons are widespread among hemichordates […]

TROWBRIDGE, C.D.* ; HIRANO, Y.J.: Marine specialist herbivores on high-diversity shores: Ecological notes of Japanese Ascoglossan (= Sacoglossan) Opisthobranchs. Most marine specialist herbivores belong to the molluscan order Ascoglossa, a group of suctorial sea slugs that show intriguing parallels with phytophagous insects. We investigated the ecology of ascoglossans in a region of high species richness: […]

BLANK, J.M.*; MORRISSETTE, J.M.; MASSAROTI, H.; BLACKWELL, S.B.; BLOCK, B.A.: Physiology & Biochemical Characteristics of Pacific & Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Hearts Electronic tagging data indicates that bluefin tunas encounter a wide range of environmental temperatures from 2 to 30°C while maintaining endothermic muscle and visceral temperatures of 23-30°C. The hearts of bluefin operate at ambient […]

JOHNS, G.C.*; SOMERO, G.N.: Evolution of A4-lactate dehydrogenase in warm-stenothermal environments: investigating biochemical adaptation in damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Building on previous work elucidating the nature of biochemical adaptation of muscle-type lactate dehydrogenase (A4-LDH) in cold-stenothermal Antarctic Notothenioids and eurythermal gobies, we investigated functional differences associated with evolution in a warm-stenothermal environment. To address this, we analyzed […]

PRUITT, Nancy L.; SHAPIRO, Craig: Evidence for a cryoprotective protein in freeze tolerant larvae of the goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta solidaginis Third instar larvae of the goldenrod gall fly, Eurosta solidaginis, overwinter in a ball gall on the stem of the goldenrod, Solidago spp., where they are exposed to a wide range of environmental extremes. […]

MUELLER, P.J.: Desert rodents stockpile food in the form of body fat. Seasonal, nutritional and age-related factors influencing body composition are frequently studied, but there is less information on species-level variation across habitat types. Because of the unpredictable distribution of food resources in xeric environments, desert-dwelling rodents might accumulate greater fat reserves than their mesic-zone […]

POSNER, M.*; LOW, S.; RUNKLE, S.; KANTOROW, M.; HORWITZ, J.: Chaperone function of the small heat shock protein alpha crystallin in the zebrafish, Danio rerio Alpha crystallin is a small heat shock protein expressed primarily in the ocular lens of all vertebrate taxa. In the mammalian lens this protein plays a role in preventing cataracts […]

MCCUE, M.D.; BENNETT, A.F.; HICKS, J.W.; University of California, Irvine: The physiology underlying specific dynamic action in pythons: a tail of two hypotheses We have previously demonstrated that specific dynamic action (SDA) in pythons is not triggered by inert food boluses and is highly dependent on meal type. Here we further investigated physiological processes underlying […]

MCWILLIAMS, S.R.; KARASOV, W.H.; Univ. Rhode Island; Univ. Wisconsin: Spare capacity in the digestive system of a migratory songbird and its ecological significance. Phenotypic flexibility in the digestive system of migratory birds is critically important in allowing birds to successfully overcome the physiological challenges of migration. Determining when rates of digestion constrain diet choice or […]

STARCK, J.M.; ABE, A.S.; NETO, A.C.; University of Jena, Germany; UNESP Rio Claro, Brazil: Morphological and Physiological Responses of the Digestive Tract to Feeding in Caimans Broad-nosed caimans (Caiman latirostris) experience considerable fluctuations in food supply. We asked: (1) what happens to the gastrointestinal tract when caimans are fasting, i.e., when the intestine is non-functional; […]