WARD, A.B.*; BRAINERD, E.L.; Univ. of Massachusetts: Patterns of vertebral column evolution in actinopterygian fishes Eel-like body forms have evolved multiple times within actinopterygian fishes. The goal of this study is to determine how the axial skeleton of elongated fishes differs from that of closely related, non-elongate species. Elongation of the body axis can occur […]

SHAPIRO, M.D.; MARKS, M.E.; PEICHEL, C.L.; SCHLUTER, D.; KINGSLEY, D.M.; Stanford University, CA; Stanford University, CA; Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA; University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Stanford University, CA: Genetic basis of pelvic reduction in sticklebacks Reduction and loss of the appendicular skeleton occur frequently in the evolution of vertebrates, yet we know very […]

SHEARMAN, R. M.; University of Chicago: Endochondral bone growth of the pectoral girdle in Rana pipiens Our knowledge of endochondral bone development is largely derived from histological analyses of long bones in mammals and birds. This study explores bone growth in the anuran pectoral girdle, a structure built from dermal, endochondral, and cartilaginous elements. To […]

GALIS, F; VAN DER SLUIJS, I; NUSSBAUMER, M; VAN DOOREN, TJM; Leiden Univ.; Leiden Univ.; Nat. Hist. Mus. Bern; Leiden Univ.: Do large dogs die young? Body size and longevity in animals are in general positively related in interspecies comparisons. Paradoxically, intraspecific comparisons in mammals have often led to the opposite conclusion, large individuals die […]

ZELDITCH, M.L.; Univ. of Michigan: Canalizing skull shape: balancing the generation and compensation of variance Over the course of development, variance in skull shape decreases, suggesting that shape is canalized. Although that pattern has been described for three rodents, the processes responsible are still mysterious, partly because the generality of the trend is uncertain and […]

ARTHUR, W; University of Sunderland: Beyond constraints and spandrels: the effect of development on the direction of evolution Is evo-devo heretical? In other words, does it have anything to say about the factors that determine the directions that evolution takes, which might challenge the supremacy of natural selection? Here I examine these questions and take […]

WITTEN, P. E.; HUYSSEUNE, A.; HALL, B. K.; nstitute of Marine Research at the University of Kiel (Germany); Biology Department, Ghent University (Belgium); Department of Biology, Dalhousie University (Halifax): Acellular bone and mononucleated osteoclasts in advanced teleosts: New characters or adaptations resulting from heterochrony? The lack of osteocytes (acellular bone) and bone resorption by mononucleated […]

HELMUTH, B.; GILMAN, S.; WETHEY, D.S.; Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia; Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia; Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia: Predicting biogeographic responses to climate change in rocky intertidal ecosystems: a mechanistic approach Intertidal organisms are often assumed to live close to their thermal limits, and thus have emerged as potential early indicators of […]

TRACY, C. R.; CHRISTIAN, K. A.; TRACY, C. R.; Univ. of Nevada, Reno; Charles Darwin Univ., Northern Territory, Australia; Charles Darwin Univ., Northern Territory, Australia: Evaluating thermoregulation in large reptiles: null modeling Hertz et al. (1993) presented protocols for evaluating thermoregulation in reptiles. Their approach employs comparisons of thermoregulatory performance with null models of the […]

MELLARD, J.P.*; FIELDS, D.M.; BROWN, J.; WEISSBURG, M.J.; YEN, J.; Georgia Institute of Technology: Effects of Viscosity on Copepod Signal Detection Copepods, an important member of most aquatic food webs, interact strongly with their physical fluid environment. To respond in an ecologically appropriate manner copepods use their sensory structures to identify fluid mechanical disturbances. Their […]