COOPER, W. J.; WESTNEAT, M. W.; University of Chicago; Field Museum of Natural History: Damselfish jaws: comparative and functional morphometrics in labroid fishes Damselfishes (Labroidei, Pomacentridae) constitute a diverse group (> 340 sp.) of marine fishes that have been thought to exhibit little trophic diversity. Despite widespread interest in labroid feeding, the morphological and functional […]

WOLCOTT, T.G.; WOLCOTT, D.L.; HINES, A.H.; MEDICI, D.A.; NC State Univ., Raleigh and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater MD: Migration of adult female blue crabs from mating areas to the maternity suite: when, where, and who cares? Adult female blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) migrate from upper estuaries, where mating occurs, to high-salinity spawning grounds before […]

OPHIR, A.G.*; GALEF, B.G. Jr.; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario: Losers win in the end: Female Japanese quail that eavesdrop on fighting males prefer the losers Much research has been dedicated to both study of female mate choice and to inter-male aggression. However, researchers have only recently begun to investigate their interaction. […]

MYERS, E.M.*; ZAMUDIO, K.R.; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY: Genetic Characterization of Reproductive Strategy in an Amphibian with Aggregate Breeding Aggregate or explosive breeding is widespread among vertebrates and likely increases the probability of multiple paternity. We assessed paternity in seven field collected clutches of the explosive breeding spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) […]

LEVIN, R.N.*; CORREA, S.M.; WILL, M.C.; JANG, S.C.; Pomona College, Claremont, CA: Effects of Latitude and Altitude on House Wren Reproductive Biology We are exploiting the broad distribution of the house wren to test hypotheses addressing environmental influences on mate fidelity and the hormonal control of reproductive behavior. Here, we present breeding data from two […]

BICKFORD, David; University of Miami: A New Male Parental Care Behavior in Frogs from New Guinea Male parental care is extremely rare in nature and one of the most fascinating aspects of New Guinea�s biodiversity is the evolution of male parental care in the frog family Microhylidae. Here, I report a novel mode of parental […]

MARSHALL, V.T.; SCHWARTZ, J.J.; GERHARDT, H.C.; University of Missouri-Columbia; Pace University; University of Missouri-Columbia: The influence of heterospecific acoustic interference on phonotaxis behavior in the gray treefrog Hyla versicolor In a frog chorus, signalers and receivers face the problem of overlap between the advertisement calls of nearby neighbors. The influence of such overlap on the […]

BEE, M. A.; MARSHALL, V. T.; HUMFELD, S. C.; GERHARDT, H. C.; Carl von Ossietzky Universit�t, Oldenburg, Germany; Univ. of Missouri, Columbia; Univ. of Missouri, Columbia; Univ. of Missouri, Columbia: The Role of Learning in the Formation of Frog Choruses Anuran mating behaviors are usually thought to lack the scope for experience-mediated behavioral plasticity common […]

WATT*, M.J.; FORSTER, G.L.; JOSS, J.M.P.; University of South Dakota; University of South Dakota; Macquarie University, Australia: Perception of Honest Signals mediates Aggressive Responses of Male Jacky Dragons Male Jacky Dragons (Amphibolurus muricatus) utilize stereotyped motor displays to convey aggression and territoriality. Individual variation exists within one component of this display, such that the frequency […]

BRANDT, Y.; Indiana University, Bloomington: Diminished Locomotor Performance: a tool for Quantifying Display Costs Handicap models of signaling propose that display honesty can be maintained by variation in display costs, since the fitness benefits of increasing signal expression are offset by increasing fitness costs. Testing this hypothesis requires a practical means of measuring the fitness […]