VON DASSOW, M; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Influences of flow and feeding on colony organization in a bryozoan The bryozoan Membranipora membranacea has been an excellent system for studying the mechanistic basis for integration in colonial animals. Colonies of M. membranacea feed by pumping seawater through the colony and capturing food particles from the current […]

AVENI-DEFORGE, Kyle*; WETHEY, David S; University of South Carolina, Columbia: Fortuna dubia: Byssal function in marine mussel adaptation to seasonal changes in wave energy Mussels are dominant space competitors on intertidal rocky shores. They occupy space on rock by attaching extra-cellular shock absorbing fibers to their surroundings. Continuous force records during mussel dislodgement from substratum […]

HILLENIUS, Willem/J; MADERSON, Paul/F*; Coll. of Charleston; Brooklyn Coll. of CUNY: DOES PITH STRETCH A FEATHER? Does pith stretch a feather? The proverbial lightness of feathers, usually attributed to an aerodynamic role, results from delicate pulp caps within the tubular calamus and spongy pith within spathe components. In both rachis and barbs, the medullary pith, […]

KINANE, S.*; THOMAS, F.I.M.; University of South Florida; University of South Florida: Bleaching in the coral Porites divaricata: effects of temperature, light, and water motion Coral bleaching, the loss of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) or their photosynthetic pigments, is affecting coral reefs throughout the world. High water temperature and strong solar irradiance contribute to coral bleaching […]

Meeting Abstract 57.1  Jan. 6  Patterns of fin ray curvature of Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus, the longhorn sculpin during substrate-contact and swimming TAFT, Natalia K.; University of Massachusetts Amherst natashak@bio.umass.edu The pectoral fins of benthic fished are used for substrate contact behaviors as well as during swimming. Morphological specializations of the fin rays are correlated with this functional flexibility […]

Meeting Abstract 57.3  Jan. 6  Natural substratum topography and its relation to the prolific adhesive capacity of geckos RUSSELL, A. P.*; JOHNSON, M. K.; Univ. of Calgary; Univ. of Calgary arussell@ucalgary.ca Many taxa of gekkonid lizards have subdigital pads bearing fields of adhesive setae that allow them to bond to and climb on a wide variety of […]

Meeting Abstract 57.6  Jan. 6  Kinematics of level terrestrial and underwater walking in the California newt, Taricha torosa ASHLEY-ROSS, M.A.*; LUNDIN, R.; JOHNSON, K.L.; Wake Forest University rossma@wfu.edu Although fossil evidence indicates that the tetrapod limb predated the move onto land, underwater locomotion involving the limbs, and how it might differ from locomotion on land, is poorly […]

Meeting Abstract 57.2  Jan. 6  Effects of substrate on the terrestrial locomotion of the ropefish. PACE, C. M.*; GIBB, A. C.; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University Cinnamon.Pace@nau.edu The ropefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, is an elongate polypterid that makes terrestrial excursions. Because ropefish rely on body-substrate interactions to produce forward thrust, the nature of the substrate likely affects […]

Meeting Abstract 57.5  Jan. 6  Effects of perch diameter and incline on the arboreal locomotion of snakes ASTLEY, H. C.*; JAYNE, B. C.; Univ. of Cincinnati; Univ. of Cincinnati astleyhc@email.uc.edu Moving in arboreal habitats poses several functional challenges including variable branch diameters, inclines, grasping, balancing and fitting onto the limited width of the perch. In contrast to […]

Meeting Abstract 57.4  Jan. 6  Distal hindlimb muscles play a key role in stability of running over rough terrain DALEY, M.A.*; BIEWENER, A.A.; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Harvard University, Cambridge mdaley@umich.edu Using a novel obstacle treadmill experiment, we test the hypothesis that distal limb muscles rapidly modify work output for stabilization tasks. We examine the in-vivo […]