Meeting Abstract 66.2  Sunday, Jan. 6  Tadpole schooling and parental care in an aquatic-breeding tropical frog, Leptodactylus insularum. HURME, KJ; Univ. of Connecticut kristiina.hurme@uconn.edu Group-living is a widespread phenomenon among animals that increases survival through increased predator detection and dilution of risk. Alternatively, parental care may increase offspring survival through predator defense, food provisioning or nest building. […]

Meeting Abstract 66.4  Sunday, Jan. 6  Pond Canopy Cover Induces a Trade-off in Terrestrial Locomotor Abilities of Post-metamorphic Toads (Bufo americanus) PURRENHAGE, Jennifer L*; GERALD, Gary W; COLLINS, Andrea M; Miami University purrenjl@muohio.edu Many amphibians have a complex life cycle comprising aquatic and terrestrial stages. Following metamorphosis, juveniles emigrate from ponds to upland habitats, and are faced […]

Meeting Abstract 66.1  Sunday, Jan. 6  Effect of ecology on strategies for aggregation in animals MORRELL, L.J.*; JAMES, R.; University of Leeds; University of Bath L.J.Morrell@leeds.ac.uk Under the threat of predation, animals often group tightly together, with all group members benefiting from a reduction in predation risk through various mechanisms, including the dilution, encounter-dilution and predator confusion […]

Meeting Abstract 66.4  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Tinkering with ectodysplasin reveals the dynamic basis of tooth development and morphology HARJUNMAA, E.**; THESLEFF, I.; JERNVALL, J.; Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland. enni.harjunmaa@helsinki.fi It is often thought that tinkering with signaling networks produces small changes in development, leading to phenotypic variation, and ultimately to evolutionary change. We have […]

Meeting Abstract 66.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Notch signaling during embryogenesis in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis MARLOW, H. Q.; ROETTINGER, E.; MARTINDALE, M.Q.*; Univ. Hawaii, Kewalo Marine Lab mqmartin@hawaii.edu Nematostella vectensis, the startlet sea anemone, is an anthozoan cnidarian and early branching member of the metazoa. As a morphologically simple early metazoan it possesses only two tissue layers […]

Meeting Abstract 66.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Development and Evolution of Ptychoderid Hemichordates SWALLA, B.J.; Univ. of Washington bjswalla@u.washington.edu Hemichordata are the sister group to Echinodermata, yet share some morphological features with Chordata, including gill slits. Hemichordates contain both solitary enteropneust worms and colonial pterobranchs, but molecular phylogenies suggest that the colonial pterobranchs are a sister group to […]

Meeting Abstract 66.5  Wednesday, Jan. 6  The Evolution of Sex Determination in Stickleback Fishes URTON, J.R.*; BRUNER, A.M.; MCCANN, S.R.; BALCELLS, R.; PEICHEL, C.L.; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center cpeichel@fhcrc.org Sex determination is critical to an individual’s […]

Meeting Abstract 66.4  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Reversed asymmetry in lithodid crabs: an absence of evidence for heritability or induction DUGUID, W.D.; Univ. of Victoria willduguid@hotmail.com The mechanisms controlling development of left-right asymmetries remain an intriguing problem in developmental biology. Individuals exhibiting reversal of directionally asymmetric characters provide an opportunity to study these mechanisms and may also provide […]

Meeting Abstract 66.3  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Identification and expression of genes for sex determination in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis TRAYLOR-KNOWLES, N.*; REITZEL, A.M.; FINNERTY, J. R. ; Boston University; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Boston University ntk17@Bu.edu Sex determination in some animals is patterned by differential expression of transcription factors from the two gene families, DM-domain […]

Meeting Abstract 66.6  Wednesday, Jan. 6  How the stickleback gets its stripes GREENWOOD, A.K.**; PEICHEL, C.L.; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA agreenwo@fhcrc.org Pigment patterns exhibit striking variation in nature and are used for a diversity of functions, such as avoiding predators and attracting mates. Juvenile threespine sticklebacks from marine and freshwater populations exhibit divergent pigmentation […]