EVANS, A.R.*; WILSON, G.P.; JERNVALL, J.; FORTELIUS, M.; Inst. of Biotechnology, Univ. of Helsinki, Finland; Denver Museum of Natural History, Colorado; Inst. of Biotechnology, Univ. of Helsinki, Finland; Dept. of Geology and Inst. of Biotechnology, Univ. of Helsinki, Finland: New methods in 3D tooth shape analysis: a study of form and function in murine and […]

HILL, R.I.; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Morphology and locomotor mimicry in ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae) Neotropical ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae) exhibit rampant convergent evolution of color patterns. It is not uncommon in lowland rainforest to find up to nine color patterns at a site, with several species from 2-5 genera exhibiting each pattern. This color pattern convergence […]

HOFFMAN, Eric A.*; GOODISMAN, Michael A. D.; University of Central Florida; Georgia Institute of Technology: Genomic analysis of caste differentiation in yellowjacket wasps Highly eusocial insects exhibit one of the most remarkable examples of polyphenism, the occurrence of discrete alternative phenotypes produced from a single genotype. Individuals belong to distinct castes (e.g. queens or workers) […]

SWEENEY, A.*; DES MARAIS, D.L.; BAN, A.; JOHNSEN, S.; Duke University; Duke University; Duke University; Duke University: Evolving Refractive Index: How Lens Protein Evolution Contributed to High-Resolution Squid Vision A lens with a graded refractive index is necessary for high-resolution animal vision. This graded refractive index is produced by a concentration gradient of a few […]

SISON-MANGUS, MP*; BRISCOE, AD; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine: Evolutionary origin of a blue opsin gene duplication in lycaenid butterflies Duplication of opsin genes followed by functional diversification is the evolutionary mechanism that enabled invertebrates to gain trichromatic vision. Recently, a novel blue opsin duplication was found in the genus Lycaena that […]

TODT, C.*; TYLER, S.; Univ. of Maine, Orono; Univ. of Maine, Orono: Comparative studies on the pharynx simplex of Acoela The homology of pharynges within the mostly pharynx-less Acoela has been a matter of discussion for decades, and still the basic question of whether a pharynx is a primitive trait within the Acoela and is […]

HULSEY, CD*; STREELMAN, JT; Georgia Tech; Georgia Tech: Cichlid Pharyngeal Jaw Fusion: Is Suturing the Key to Unparalleled Trophic Divergence? The pharyngeal jaw of cichlids and other labroid fishes may represent a key innovation that facilitated their unparalleled trophic divergence. However, the cichlid pharyngeal jaw exhibits a transitional phenotype between the condition found in most […]

Meeting Abstract 52.5  Jan. 6  The persistence of environmentally-induced phenotypic variation in western fence lizards BUCKLEY, C.R.*; IRSCHICK, D.J.; ADOLPH, S.C. ; University of Massachusetts crcbuck@gmail.com Developmental plasticity is known to have profound effects on the phenotypes of young organisms, especially ectotherms. Evolutionary biologists have demonstrated changes in phenotype that include neonates� morphology, behavior, physiology and performance […]

Meeting Abstract 52.6  Jan. 6  Phenotypic plasticity and the origin of novel traits: butterflies modify behavior and morphology in response to a novel environment SNELL-ROOD, Emilie C; Univ. of Arizona emilies@email.arizona.edu The origin of novel traits may allow organisms to expand into previously unfilled ecological space. Phenotypic plasticity, especially those forms occurring through somatic selection (trial-and-error) mechanisms, […]

Meeting Abstract 52.1  Jan. 6  Increased variation in extreme environmental conditions: Adaptive response or sampling artifact? WANG, G*; FRAZIER, MR; Univ of Washington, Seattle; Univ of Washington, Seattle gw0@u.washington.edu Trait variation is greater in stressful environments than in non-stressful environments. For example, the confidence interval of fitness in C. elegans is greatest at high temperatures. Several authors […]