Meeting Abstract 98.8  Thursday, Jan. 7  Are Elephants Obligate Evaporative Coolers? DUNKIN, R.*; WILLIAMS, T.; WILSON, D.; JOHNSON, S.; JOHNSON, K.; Univ. of California, Santa Cruz; Univ. of California, Santa Cruz; Wildlife Safari; Six Flags, Vallejo; Have Trunk Will Travel dunkin@biology.ucsc.edu Elephants often occupy habitats with sustained high temperatures and low water availability, however, patterns of habitat […]

Meeting Abstract 98.6  Saturday, Jan. 7  Wing Reduction and Flight Biomechanic in Stick Insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) ZENG, Yu*; DUDLEY, Robert; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley dreavoniz@berkeley.edu Many unresolved questions in insect flight evolution relate to the transition between flightless and flying insects. Functional analysis of transitional forms using anatomical intermediates may help to explain […]

Meeting Abstract 98.5  Saturday, Jan. 7  Resilin and the morphological basis of flexible wing dynamics in flying insects MOUNTCASTLE, AM*; COMBES, SA; Harvard University mountcastle@fas.harvard.edu Flexible insect wings undergo considerable shape changes during flapping flight, and the importance of these emergent deformations to force production and aerodynamic efficiency has been the focus of many recent studies. Relatively […]

Meeting Abstract 98.1  Saturday, Jan. 7  Relative role of hindlimbs and forelimbs during take-off and landing in different species of birds PROVINI, Pauline*; ABOURACHID, Anick; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris provini@mnhn.fr Although take-off and landing are crucial components of avian flight, few studies have focused on these two phases and consequently the […]

Meeting Abstract 98.3  Saturday, Jan. 7  Free-flight dynamics of peregrine and pigeon – predator and prey. USHERWOOD, JR; The Royal Veterinary College jusherwood@rvc.ac.uk Newly developed GPS and inertial loggers record high rate and quality in a small package. This allows direct measurements of free flight and flock dynamics in birds down to the size of pigeons. Findings […]

Meeting Abstract 98.4  Saturday, Jan. 7  Dragonfly versus fruit fly: Biomechanics, behavior and strategy during aerial predator-prey encounters COMBES, S.A.*; RUNDLE, D.E.; IWASAKI, J.M.; Harvard University scombes@oeb.harvard.edu Despite extensive research on the ecology and population dynamics of predator-prey systems, our understanding of the physical interaction between animals and the factors that determine the outcome of an encounter […]

Meeting Abstract 98.2  Saturday, Jan. 7  A new look at the avian wishbone BAIER, D.B.*; GATESY, S.M.; DIAL, K.P.; JENKINS, F.A. Jr.; Providence College; Brown University; University of Montana; Harvard University dbaier@providence.edu The V-shaped avian furcula (fused clavicles) spans between the shoulders and is known to be capable of considerable bending in most species. Earlier studies of […]

Meeting Abstract 98.6  Sunday, Jan. 6  Paracellular absorption of nutrients in bats is high during intestinal luminal perfusions PRICE, E. R.*; BRUN, A.; FASULO, V.; KARASOV, W. H.; CAVIEDES-VIDAL, E.; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Universidad Nacional de San Luis; Universidad Nacional de San Luis; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Universidad Nacional de San Luis eprice2@wisc.edu Water-soluble nutrients can be absorbed […]

Meeting Abstract 98.4  Sunday, Jan. 6  Herbivorous prickleback fishes (family Stichaediae) express multiple amylase isoforms FOTI, DM*; GERMAN, DP; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine dfoti@uci.edu Many herbivorous vertebrates are reliant upon soluble components of their food (e.g., starch) to meet their energetic needs. Thus, herbivorous vertebrates have elevated activities of the starch-degrading enzyme amylase […]

Meeting Abstract 98.3  Sunday, Jan. 6  Digestive enzyme activities elucidate the digestive strategies of prickleback fishes (family Stichaeidae) with different diets GERMAN, DP; Univ. of California, Irvine dgerman@uci.edu The patterns of digestive enzyme activities along the digestive tract of an animal can reveal the strategy that an animal takes to acquire resources from their food. In this […]