Meeting Abstract 97.4  Thursday, Jan. 7  On the Origin and Evolution of Animal Vision: Insights from an Eyeless Cnidarian. PLACHETZKI, D/P*; FONG, C/R; OAKLEY, T/H; University of California, Davis; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Barbara plachetzki@ucdavis.edu Opsin-based phototransduction underlies all known visual phenotypes in animals. In bilaterians these protein cascades translate light information […]

Meeting Abstract 97.2  Thursday, Jan. 7  Octocoral reproductive strategies: Trying to see the forest for the trees? KHANG, S; BENAYAHU, Y; LASKER, HR*; Hawaii Pacific Univ.; Tel Aviv Univ; Univ. at Buffalo hlasker@buffalo.edu Published and unpublished data were used to characterize the reproductive biology of 175 octocoral species from 73 genera and 22 families. The data set […]

Meeting Abstract 97.1  Thursday, Jan. 7  Genetic diversity within Calliactis polypus (Cnidaria: Actiniaria), a widespread species of sea anemone symbiotic with hermit crabs GUSMAO, Luciana C.*; DALY, Marymegan; Ohio State University Gusmao.1@osu.edu Originally described from the South Pacific Ocean, Calliactis polypus is the most widespread species of anemone symbiotic with hermit crabs. Its range spans the Pacific […]

Meeting Abstract 97.3  Thursday, Jan. 7  Evolution of box jellyfishes (Cnidaria: Cubozoa) BENTLAGE, B*; CARTWRIGHT, P; COLLINS, A G; University of Kansas bentlage@ku.edu Cubozoa (Cnidaria: Medusozoa) represents a small clade of approximately fifty described species, some of which are highly toxic, causing serious human envenomations. Our understanding of the evolutionary history of Cubozoa has been limited by […]

Meeting Abstract 97.2  Saturday, Jan. 7  The silent flight of owls BACHMANN, Thomas; Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany bachmann@sla.tu-darmstadt.de Barn owls are nocturnal birds of prey that detect prey mainly by using acoustic information. To improve the localization of prey owls evolved a slow and silent flight. Here, anatomical adaptations of barn owl wings to low speed and […]

Meeting Abstract 97.5  Saturday, Jan. 7  Measurement of the aerodynamic stability and control effectiveness of human skydivers during free fall and directed aerial descent EVANGELISTA, D.*; CARDONA, G.; RAY, N.; TSE, K.; WONG, D.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley devangel@berkeley.edu We examined […]

Meeting Abstract 97.3  Saturday, Jan. 7  Flow visualization, kinematics, and metabolic rates of Anna’s Hummingbird hovering in ground effect WOLF, Marta*; ORTEGA-JIMENEZ, Victor M.; KIM, Erica; DUDLEY, Robert; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley marta.wolf@berkeley.edu Animals in flight potentially benefit from an aerodynamic ground effect when moving […]

Meeting Abstract 97.1  Saturday, Jan. 7  A theoretical investigation of static stability in gliding snakes JAFARI, F.*; SOCHA, J.J.; Virginia Tech jafari@vt.edu Flying snakes undulate while gliding, using their entire body as a continuously morphing ‘wing’ to produce flight forces. Studies of static 2D airfoils using the snake’s aerial cross-sectional shape have demonstrated that this shape maintains […]

Meeting Abstract 97.4  Saturday, Jan. 7  A Novel Unsteady Aerodynamic Mechanism in Avian Flight CRANDELL, KE*; TOBALSKE, BW; University of Montana, Missoula; University of Montana, Missoula kristen.crandell@umontana.edu The overarching significance of Reynolds number (Re), along with differences in body size, musculoskeletal morphologies, and wing kinematics, all lend support to the hypothesis that unsteady aerodynamics are only prevalent […]

Meeting Abstract 97.6  Sunday, Jan. 6  Stabilizing falls in confined environments GRAVISH, N*; GOODISMAN, M.A.D.; GOLDMAN, D.I.; Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics; Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biology; Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics nick.gravish@gmail.com Many organisms live and move in underground environments which they have excavated. Such environments may present challenges for […]