PAITZ, R.T.; HAUSSMANN, M.F.; BOWDEN, R.M.; JANZEN, F.J.; VLECK, C.M.; Illinois State Univ.; Iowa State Univ.; Illinois State Univ.; Iowa State Univ.; Iowa State Univ.: Long telomeres may minimize the effect of aging in the painted turtle Nearly all organisms show evidence of aging, involving progressive loss of physiological functioning and increasing risk of death. […]

MU�OZ-GARCIA, A.*; WILLIAMS, J.B.*; The Ohio State University; The Ohio State University: Lipids of the stratum corneum vary with cutaneous water loss in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) from arid and mesic environments Terrestrial vertebrates that live in extremely arid environments are challenged to control for excessive water losses in order to maintain their water homeostasis. […]

ANGILLETTA, M.J.*; NIEWIAROWSKI, P.H.; DUNHAM, A.E.; LEACHE, A.D.; PORTER, W.P.; Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute ; Univ. of Akron, Akron; Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison: Bergmann�s clines in ectotherms: illustrating a life-history perspective with sceloporine lizards The generality and causes of Bergmann�s rule have been debated vigorously in […]

SPENCER, R-J; Iowa State University: Adaptive significance of TSD in turtles: Sex specific fitness advantages of overwintering in painted turtles. Temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) has evolved independently in many taxa. Underlying the theory of an adaptive significance of TSD is that there are sex specific fitness advantages of particular incubation temperatures. These advantages have […]

DUNN, CW*; WAGNER, GP; University of Hawaii; Yale University: The evolution and development of colony-level organization in the Siphonophora (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) The siphonophores (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa), like other colonial animals, are made up of many multicellular zooids, each of which is homologous to a free-living solitary animal. Each colony arises from a single zygote, but the […]

MATUS, DQ*; PANG, K; THOMSEN, GH; MARTINDALE, MQ; University of Hawaii, Kewalo Marine Laboratory; University of Hawaii, Kewalo Marine Laboratory; Stony Brook University, Dept. of Biochemistry and Cell Biology; University of Hawaii, Kewalo Marine Laboratory: Signaling pathway complexity in the development of an anthozoan cnidarian Cnidarians (corals, sea anemones, and jelly fish) occupy an important […]

IRVINE, Steven Q; University of Rhode Island: Genomic regulation of the Dll-A/B gene cluster in Ciona intestinalis. The ascidian Ciona intestinalis has a compact genome, including an apparent homolog of the Dlx clusters in vertebrates. The Dll-A/B cluster in C. intestinalis is much smaller than its vertebrate counterparts, and in combination with the ability in […]

RYCHEL, A.L.*; SWALLA, B.J.; University of Washington; University of Washington: Evolution of Pharyngeal Gill Bars in the Deuterostomes Vertebrate pharyngeal gills contain structural elements that are cartilages elaborated from neural crest cells. The invertebrate chordate group, the Cephalochordates, also have pharyngeal gills containing structural elements, although the origin of these structures are not known. The […]

Meeting Abstract 48.10  Jan. 6  Why sub-optimal is optimal: a model of ectotherm thermal preferences MARTIN, T.L.; HUEY, R.B.*; Harvard Univ.; Univ. Washington, Seattle hueyrb@u.washington.edu Body temperature profoundly affects the fitness of ectotherms, and many ectotherms use behavioral adjustments in an attempt to control body temperatures within narrow, species-specific levels. Biologists have long assumed that such �preferred […]

Meeting Abstract 48.4  Jan. 6  Who’s hot and who’s not? Species-specific thermal histories may determine the biogeographies of Mytilid mussels in the US. JONES, S.J.*; MIESZKOWSKA, N.; WETHEY, D.S.; Univ. of S. Carolina, Columbia; Univ. of S. Carolina, Columbia; Univ. of S. Carolina, Columbia sierra@biol.sc.edu Most organisms have latitudinally discreet biogeographical distributions. While various factors may affect […]