EERNISSE, D.J.; AMER, A.A.; MCCAMAN, R.E.; ONO, J.K.: Gene duplication in gastropod (Mollusca) nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) proteins is associated with neuronal vs. neuromuscular specialization. One of us (AAA) has recently sequenced the alpha subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor proteins (nAChRs) from the central nervous system (CNS) and buccal muscles (BM) of the gastropod molluscs, […]

LARSON, ET; SCHJOLDEN, J; SCHI�TH, H; LARHAMMAR, D; WINBERG, S; Uppsala University: Melanocortin peptides influence appetite in rainbow trout. Melanocortin peptides (α-MSH, β-MSH, γ-MSH, ACTH) are a series of peptides cleaved from the precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC). In mammals, melanocortins influence appetite, learning, sexual and social behavior. Food intake in mammals is influenced via both the […]

BECKMAN, B.R.*; SHIMIZU, M; GADBERRY, B; COOPER, K; National Marine Fisheries Service: Feeding rate, growth and plasma IGF-I and 41 kDa IGFBP levels in coho salmon. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is one of the primary endocrine mediators of growth in vertebrates. The actions of IGF-I are extensively modified by a family of IGF binding proteins […]

SKELLY, S. L.; JOHN-ALDER, H. B.; Rutgers University: Effects of testosterone on growth and behavior of the eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus. Sexual size dimorphism in Sceloporus undulatus results from a higher pre-maturational growth rate in females than in males. To gain insight into potential mechanisms of sex differences in growth, we studied behavior of […]

BOWDEN, RM*; HARMS, HK; JANZEN, FJ; Iowa State University; Iowa State University; Iowa State University: Age-Related Variation in Egg Size and Yolk Steroid Hormones in the Painted Turtle Egg size is thought to be constrained by pelvic aperture morphology in turtles. Given this potential constraint, females should optimize egg size such that they produce the […]

ARENDT, Jeff; Univ. of California, Riverside: The Proximate Determinates of Body Size in Spadefoot Tadpoles: cell size, cell number and functional consequences Body size is an important correlate in most areas of biology including predator-prey interactions, competition, allometry, and life-history. Despite being one of the most commonly measured traits in biology, we know remarkably little […]

HODGES, Wendy L; Univ. of California, Riverside: Testing the Cold-Climate Hypothesis: Evolution of Viviparity in Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma) Transitions from oviparity (egg laying) to viviparity (live bearing) have occurred in many vertebrate lineages including fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The cold-climate model for the evolution of viviparity in squamates has received broad support and predicts […]

LEONARD, J.L.; Univ. of California-Santa Cruz: Sex and the Balanced Portfolio The �cost of meiosis� problem is that for sex to be adaptive, sexually produced offspring must be, on average, either half as expensive to produce or twice as successful in terms of their future fitness. Applied to the problem of reproduction, Modern Portfolio Theory […]

SPANOVICH, S; NIEWIAROWSKI, PH*; LONDRAVILLE, RL; University of Akron: Seasonal Variation in Circulating Leptin in Fence Lizards, Sceloporus undulatus, From Two Populations We showed in a previous study that the hormone leptin, when injected into fence lizards, evoked the same short-term phenotypic responses as observed in laboratory mammals (changes in energy metabolism, thermoregulatory behavior, and […]

HERREL, A.*; VANHOOYDONCK, B.; IRSCHICK, D.J.; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium; Tulane University, New Orleans: Ontogeny of head shape, bite performance and diet in the Jamaican lizard Anolis lineatopus As different life-history stages of a species potentially compete for the same prey, natural selection can be expected to give rise to intraspecific […]