Meeting Abstract 57.2  Saturday, Jan. 5  Integrating Biology Experimental Activity Modules into introductory physics (IBEAM) REESE, Scott/A*; KRIVOSHEEV, Tatiana; BURNETT, Stephen; PRATTE, John; Kennesaw State University; Clayton State University; Clayton State University; Arkansas State University sreese3@kennesaw.edu Modern biology has grown beyond a simple description of life around us. To be successful at answering questions about life, a […]

Meeting Abstract 57.3  Saturday, Jan. 5  High School Biology Teachers� Confidence in Biotechnology HANEGAN, Nikki L*; MANSIUS, Amber; Brigham Young University; Brigham Young University nikkihanegan@byu.edu Project Crawfish is a collaborative university and secondary school partnership to enhance the use of biotechnology in high school settings. Teachers are becoming more aware of the importance of biotechnology, as it […]

Meeting Abstract 57.1  Saturday, Jan. 5  Combining art and science in creative projects to assess student learning in biology DAVIS-BERG, E. C.; Columbia College Chicago edavis@colum.edu Teaching non-majors at an arts and media college poses the challenge of keeping students interested and involved in learning material outside their majors. Not all students perform well on traditional forms […]

Meeting Abstract 57.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Synarcual Variation in the Purportedly Invariable Clade, Rajidae CLAESON, Kerin M.; The University of Texas at Austin kclaeson@mail.utexas.edu Batoid fishes (electric rays, sawfishes, skates, guitarfishes, and stingrays) are united by a suite of characters including the presence of the synarcual, a tube-like skeletal element hypothesized to be the fused anterior-most vertebrae […]

Meeting Abstract 57.3  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Phylogeny of early vertebrates based on evidence from developmental study of hagfish OTA, K.G.*; KURATANI, S; RIKEN CDB; RIKEN CDB ota_kinya@cdb.riken.jp Hagfish is still located on the most basal position in the morphological phylogenetic tree of vertebrates, even though the monophyletic relationship between this animal and lamprey was confirmed by a […]

Meeting Abstract 57.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Multivariate comparative analysis using OUCH BUTLER, MA*; KING, AA; University of Hawaii; University of Michigan mbutler@hawaii.edu Correlated evolution, the hypothesis that evolutionary forces are acting on characters jointly, is a major feature of evolutionary theory. For example, whether genome size evolves in correlation with basal metabolic rate is a question which […]

Meeting Abstract 57.6  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Evolutionary rates and patterns of artiodactyl limb reduction BORMET, A.K.*; MARCOT, J.D.; SEARS, K.E.; Univ. of Illinois; Univ. of Illinois; Univ. of Illinois bormet1@illinois.edu Many clades of artiodactyls show evolutionary reductions in the number of distal elements of their limb skeleton, either through the fusion of two bones or the loss […]

Meeting Abstract 57.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Determining Phylogenetic Relationships of microhylid frogs using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Gene Sequences RIVERA, J.A.*; BUTLER, M.; University of Hawaii, Manoa; University of Hawaii, Manoa julio.rivera85@gmail.com Microhylidae represents an ancient group of Anuras that was thought to have diverged from its Indo-Asian relatives some 64-84 mya (Van der Meijden et al., 2007). […]

Meeting Abstract 57.4  Tuesday, Jan. 6  A dynamic approach to digital homology in Tetanura (Dinosauria: Theropoda) CHOINIERE, Jonah N*; CLARK, James M; XING, Xu; FORSTER, Catherine A; George Washington University, Washington, DC; George Washington University, Washington, DC; Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; George Washington University, Washington, DC jonahc@gwu.edu A long-standing issue in evolutionary biology […]

Meeting Abstract 57.1  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Visual and electrosensory integration in hammerhead sharks KAJIURA, Stephen M*; MCCOMB, D Michelle; Florida Atlantic University kajiura@fau.edu The unique head morphology of hammerhead sharks (Family Sphyrnidae) provides a dorsal ventrally compressed and laterally expanded platform upon which sensory structures are distributed. The spatial distribution of sensors dictates how the sharks perceive […]