MCCOY, Adam M; Harvard University: Host-Symbiont Specificity:A Means to Predict a Biological Invasion Despite recognition of the potential ecological consequences of biological invasions, factors that determine the ability of exotics to successfully invade remain largely unknown. Many species in the marine environment rely on specific interactions with microbes for a variety of processes including settlement […]

CASTELLANO, M.J.*; VALONE, T.J.; Saint Louis University; Saint Louis University: Effects of Livestock Removal and Perennial Grass Recovery on the Lizards of a Desertified Arid Grassland The effects of livestock grazing and desertification on birds, rodents and plants have been well studied. Herpetofuana, however, have received relatively little attention. In 1958 a livestock exclosure was […]

SCHMITZ, R.S.; Univ. of Wisconsin Stevens Point: Ultrastructural characteristics of teleost fins. Teleost fins are flexible two-dimensional sheets that undulate and bend to produce propulsive and stabilizing forces. In general all of the fins on the body of a teleost have a common trilaminar structure, consisting of two layers of epidermis sandwiching a layer of […]

LAURITZEN, D.V.; GORDON, M.S.*; WIKTOROWICZ, A.M.; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of California, Los Angeles: Swimming biomechanics and kinematics in aracanin boxfishes The temperate water Australian boxfishes (family Ostraciidae, subfamily Aracaninae) differ morphologically from the widely distributed and more familiar tropical boxfishes (subfamily Ostraciinae) in two major respects: (i) […]

HIGHAM, T.E.; MALAS, B.; JAYNE, B.C.; LAUDER, G.V.; Univ. of California, Davis; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of Cincinnati; Harvard University: Reduced pectoral fin surface area does not alter braking performance in bluegill sunfish Many natural animal movements involve accelerating from a standstill and then stopping. A presumed correlate of improved braking performance in fish […]

EIDIETIS, Laura; Univ. of Michigan: Predicting performance differences from morphology: a comparison of the fast-starts of three anuran tadpoles Tadpole acceleration during fast-starts is considered critical for surviving predator encounters. A simple model based on morphology predicted inter-specific differences between woodfrog, bullfrog, and American toad tadpoles for maximum translation of the center of mass and […]

MADDEN, P.G.A.*; LAUDER, G.V.; Harvard University; Harvard University: Pectoral fin function in fishes: musculoskeletal design, kinematics and hydrodynamics during propulsion and maneuvering A full understanding of pectoral fin swimming mechanics includes quantifying skeletal and muscular structure, fin ray and fin surface mechanics, and hydrodynamic mechanisms of fin function. We studied pectoral fin function in bluegill […]

SWANSON, B.O.; GIBB, A.C.; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University: Ontogeny of fast starts: What are the biomechanical consequences of development in teleost fish? Fast start escape responses are stereotyped behaviors that are used to escape predators throughout the life histories of fishes. Here, we examine the biomechanical basis of the C-start, focusing on ontogenetic […]

STANDEN, E.M.*; LAUDER, G.V.; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA: Kinematic and hydrodynamic function of dorsal and anal fins in teleost fishes. Dorsal fins in trout are known to produce primarily lateral forces during locomotion. These forces have been hypothesized to cause torque imbalances and possible instabilities in body position when swimming. We hypothesize that the anal […]

MULLER, UK; LIU, H; VAN LEEUWEN, JL; Wageningen University; Chiba University; Wageningen University: Fluid dynamics of cyclic swimming in larval fish During cyclic swimming, zebrafish larvae reach swimming speeds of up to 50 body lengths per second (0.2 m/s), beating their tail up to 100 times per second. We studied the swimming kinematics and the […]