Meeting Abstract 69.4  Sunday, Jan. 6  Understanding of the turtle body plan from developmental perspective NAGASHIMA, H*; KURATANI, S; Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan; Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN, Kobe, Japan nagashima@cdb.riken.go.jp The skeletal morphology of turtles has provided a possible example of evolutionary novelty, in which topological relationship between the rib cage and scapula […]

Meeting Abstract 69.2  Sunday, Jan. 6  Patterning the diverse dentitions of Lake Malawi cichlids FRASER, G. J.**; STREELMAN, J. T.*; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta gareth.fraser@biology.gatech.edu Cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi offer a unique glimpse of rapid adaptive evolution, with hundreds of species evolving from a common ancestor in the last 500,000 […]

Meeting Abstract 69.5  Sunday, Jan. 6  Modularity of the rodent mandible. Integrating teeth, muscles and bone ZELDITCH, M.L.*; WOOD, A.R.; BONETT, R.; SWIDERSKI, D.L.; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor; U. Tulsa, OK; U. Michigan, Ann Arbor zelditch@umich.edu The rodent mandible is a favored model system for studies of modularity because it forms from developmental […]

Meeting Abstract 69.3  Sunday, Jan. 6  Developmental evolutionary study of the hagfish embryo OTA, K.G.*; KURATANI, S; CDB RIKEN; CDB RIKEN ota_kinya@cdb.riken.jp Although hagfishes and lampreys are clustered as a monophyletic group by recent molecular phylogenetic analyses, the phylogenetic position of hagfishes is still a matter of debate for their apparently primitive morphological features such as the […]

Meeting Abstract 69.1  Sunday, Jan. 6  Adaptive hyper-mutability of Hoxa-13a in cypriniforms CROW, Karen; AMEMIYA, Chris; WAGNER, G�nter P. *; San Francisco State University; Benaroya Research Institute; Yale University gunter.wagner@yale.edu Asymmetric divergence is a frequently observed phenomenon among duplicated genes. Faster divergence of a paralog is usually driven either by directional selection or relaxed selection affecting non-synonymous […]

Meeting Abstract 69.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Turning Performance of Horses TAN, Huiling*; WILSON, Alan M.; The Royal Veterinary College, U.K.; The Royal Veterinary College, U.K. htan@rvc.ac.uk Sprinting around a bend increases effective body weight as body mass experience both gravity and centripetal acceleration equal to v2/r. Human maximum running speed has been shown to be limited by […]

Meeting Abstract 69.3  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Quadrupedal Turning Behaviors: Mechanics and Gait Preference MORENO, C.A.*; BIEWENER, A.A.; Harvard University cmoreno@oeb.harvard.edu Turning behaviors are critically important for many terrestrial animals and have been studied in a variety of taxa. Recent work in our lab has described the functional roles the limbs of cursorial quadrupeds in terms of the […]

Meeting Abstract 69.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  How does a small arboreal mammal use its tail to maintain its balance while traveling on tree branches? LAMMERS, A.R.*; ZURCHER, U.; Health Sciences Dept., Cleveland State University, Ohio; Physics Dept., Cleveland State University, Ohio a.Lammers13@csuohio.edu Animals which travel on tree branches must avoid toppling from these narrow substrates because a […]

Meeting Abstract 69.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Development of interlimb coordination in young horses NAUWELAERTS, S*; MALONE, S; CLAYTON, HM; Michigan State University, East Lansing nauwelae@msu.edu Motor control development is the sequential, continuous age-related process whereby neurological control of skilled and coordinated movements changes. The process involves changes in coordination of locomotion, development of strength, posture control, balance, […]

Meeting Abstract 69.4  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Arboreal habitat structure affects the performance and modes of locomotion of corn snakes (Elaphe guttata) ASTLEY, H.C.*; JAYNE, B.C.; Brown University; University of Cincinnati henry_astley@brown.edu Arboreal environments pose many functional challenges for animal locomotion including fitting within narrow spaces, balancing on cylindrical surfaces, moving on inclines, and negotiating obstacles. Many species […]