WOURMS, J P; Clemson University, SC: The Abdominal Gut Appendage, An Unique Feature of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae The abdominal gut appendage (AGA) occurs in some mesopelagic fish larvae within the Orders Stomiiformes. Ophidiiformes, Myctophiformes, and Pleuronectiformes. It is a long, thin, cylindrical extension of the ventral body wall, coelom, blood vascular system, and hindgut. It […]

TORDAY, J.S.; ROMERO, S.; SANTOS, J.; WANG, Y.; REHAN, V.K.; University of California- Los Angeles; University of California- Los Angeles; University of California- Los Angeles; University of California- Los Angeles; University of California- Los Angeles: Parathyroid Hormone-related Protein (PTHrP) Signaling: Molecular Link from Lung Development to Physiology, Phylogeny and Evolution. PTHrP and PTHrP receptor are […]

STELLWAG, Edmund/J; SETHI, Pooja/R; HOCHBERG, Robert; SCEMAMA, Jean-Luc; East Carolina University; East Carollina University; East Carolina University; East Carolina University: Evolution of developmental gene cis-regulatory elements We developed a computational method for the identification of putative cis-regulatory elements, which incorporates a direct measure of the effects of selection as a determinant in non-protein coding sequence […]

WILLMORE, K; LOZANOFF, S; ZELDITCH, M; HALLGRIMSSON, B; Univ. of Calgary; Univ of Hawaii, Honolulu; Univ. of Michigan; Univ. of Calgary: Direct and Indirect Developmental Effects of a Craniofacial Mutation in a Mouse Model Mutations have been shown to disrupt development directly by creating obvious phenotypic deviations that occur in all individuals with the mutation. […]

ZELDITCH, M.L.*; MEZEY, J.; GARLAND, T.; LUNDRIGAN, B.L.; Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Univ. of California, Davis; Univ. of California, Riverside; Michigan State Univ.: Canalization Restructures Variance The structure of phenotypic variation is determined by the balance of processes generating, forestalling and reducing variance. Because canalization both forestalls and reduces variance, it potentially plays an […]

CLAMP, J.C.; North Carolina Central Univ.: The phylogenetic position of Lagenophrys (Protista, Ciliophora, Peritricha) inferred from the sequence of the gene for 18S small subunit rRNA Lagenophrys is a genus of peritrich ciliates in which the cell body and life cycle are highly modified to accommodate existence as ectosymbionts of a wide variety of crustaceans. […]

SCHULZE, A*; CUTLER, E.B.; GIRIBET, G.; Smithsonian Marine Station; Harvard University; Harvard University: Molecular and Morphological Evolution in Sipunculan Worms Sipuncula are not only a key group in protostome evolution but they are also used as bio-indicators for marine pollution and as model systems in physiological studies. A stable phylogenetic framework is necessary to interpret […]

MOTT, TAMI; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Molecular Systematics of Brazilian amphisbaenids (Reptilia, Squamata, Amphisbaenidae) Amphisbaenians, or worm lizards, are a monophyletic lineage of fossorial squamate reptiles that comprises ca.165 species distributed in Africa and South America primarily. The family Amphisbaenidae includes nearly 90% of all extant amphisbaenians: 17 genera and ca.150 species. Seven of these […]

ZHONG, M.*; HALANYCH, K. M. ; Auburn University; Auburn University: Mitochondrial Genomes of Three Terebelliformia Annelids Sequencing of complete mitochondrial genomes has become a useful tool for inferring animal phylogeny. Complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences have been determined for many invertebrate species and partial sequences for hundreds of others. Since the rate of gene arrangement […]

MOOI, R.*; PIMENTEL, F.; Calif. Acad. of Sciences, San Francisco; Kalamazoo Coll., Kalamazoo: From large to small to large: Phylogenetic systematics of rotulid �sand dollars� and their tiny relatives Recent phylogenies of the Clypeasteroida (sand dollars and allies) recognize 3 clades (Clypeasterina, Laganina, Scutellina). The Laganina contains the strangest of all clypeasteroids. Although many laganine […]