REESE, S.A.; JACKSON, D.C.; CROCKER, C.E.; ULTSCH, G.R.; Brown University, Providence; Brown University, Providence; San Francisco State University, San Francisco; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa: Acid-base and respiratory physiology of three species of turtles (Trachemys scripta, Terrapene carolina, and Apalone spinifera) and one species of tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) in anoxia at 20 oC. Adult red-eared slider […]

MIDDLETON, K.M.; GATESY, S.M.; Brown University, Providence, RI; Brown University, Providence, RI: Wing Design and Disparity in Flying Vertebrates The three vertebrate lineages in which powered flight arose faced similar mechanical demands when interacting with their fluid environment. The ancestors of pterosaurs, birds, and bats lengthened and broadened their forelimbs into aerodynamic appendages. Similarity of […]

MACRINI, T. E.*; ROWE, T. B.; The University of Texas at Austin; The University of Texas at Austin: Preliminary comparison of cranial endocasts of marsupials Descriptions of the brains of extant marsupials are not uncommon in the literature but little is known of how these correspond to their endocasts. A thorough understanding of the relationship […]

GOSWAMI, A; Univ. of Chicago, IL and The Field Museum, Chicago, IL: Morphometric analysis of higher-taxonomic-level variation in cranial modularity across mammals The correlated evolution of traits is a principal factor in morphological evolution, but it is typically studied in genetic or developmental systems. The concept of modules (genetically, developmentally, and morphologically integrated subsets of […]

HEESY, C.P.; HALL, M.I.; NYCOM; Stony Brook Univ.: Morphological Convergence and Functional Nonconvergence between Orbit Orientation and Visual Field Overlap in Avians and Mammals Orbit orientation has long been suggested to reflect eye position and to be correlated with the degree of binocular visual field overlap in vertebrates. Based on this assumption, a number of […]

HALL, M.I.; ROSS, C.F.; Stony Brook Univ.; Univ. of Chicago: Ecological Influences on Avian Eye Shape Avians are extremely visually dependent vertebrates that have radiated into a wide variety of ecological niches. These niches place diverse demands on their visual system resulting in changes in gross eye morphology within the basic vertebrate eye design. Morphological […]

HOLLIDAY, CM; WITMER, LM; Ohio University; Ohio University: Anatomical domains within sauropsid heads and their significance for functional interpretation of extinct taxa Heads are busy places, involving the intersection of numerous vital systems comprised of, for example, muscular, respiratory, and sensory components, all of which share a limited amount of cephalic space. Individually, each of […]

SIDLAUSKAS, B.L.; University of Chicago and The Field Museum: Unequal rates of morphological diversification in sister clades of characiform fishes Why have certain groups of organisms diversified greatly in morphology, while closely related groups have not? This study took advantage of a rare natural experiment to determine whether apparent differences in morphological diversity between the […]

KAMMERER, Christian F.; Univ. of Chicago: Temporal patterns in non-mammalian synapsid morphospace Non-mammalian synapsids (commonly called �mammal-like reptiles�) were the dominant group of terrestrial vertebrates during the Permian and much of the Triassic Period (~280-200 million years ago). Although patterns of taxonomic distribution are well studied in the group, comparatively little attention has been given […]

LIOW, Lee Hsiang; University of Chicago: Lineage longevity: Luck and a Little Flexibility Go a Long Way Some lineages are more persistent through geologic time than their relatives, so much so they are sometimes called �living fossils� and conjure up images of freaks of nature. Are persistent taxa really distinct ecologically or morphologically from their […]