JOHNSON, AS*; ELLERS, O; WINDECKER, L; Bowdoin College; Bowdoin College; Bowdoin College: Power Law Scaling of Growth in Sea Urchins In contrast to field populations in which growth rates are described by Tanaka functions, under conditions where food is plentiful, sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), that are smaller than 20 mm, grow at rates that are […]

LARSON, P.M.; Ohio University: Morphometric analysis of chondrocranial anatomy and ontogenetic allometry in larval Bufo americanus (Anura: Bufonidae) Available descriptions of chondrocranial morphology among Bufo tadpoles are inconsistent, the range of variation in chondrocranial structure is not well defined, and no detailed quantitative descriptions of cranial ontogeny currently exist for the genus. This study describes […]

MCCOMBE, A.C.*; BJORNDAL, K.A.; BOLTEN, A.B.; Univ. of Florida, Gainesville; Univ. of Florida, Gainesville; Univ. of Florida, Gainesville: Compensatory Growth in Chelonia mydas Many organisms demonstrate plasticity in growth under different environmental conditions. Compensatory growth, a period of accelerated growth during increased food intake following nutritional deprivation, is an example of a plastic growth response […]

OCONNOR, P.M.; Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine: Pulmonary Pneumaticity in the Postcranial Skeleton of Extant Anseriforms Anseriform birds were surveyed to examine how the degree of postcranial pneumaticity varies in a behaviorally and size-diverse clade of birds. This study attempts to extricate the relative effects of phylogeny, body size, and behavioral specializations (e.g., diving) […]

CLIFFORD, A. B.; WITMER, L. M.; Ohio University, DBS; Ohio University, DBMS: Nasal Structures in Moose (Cervidae: Alces) Moose are a species of deer possessing a conspicuous overhanging muzzle. The functional significance of this apomorphic proboscis has remained obscure, and thus, we studied the anatomy of moose noses in an attempt to shed light on […]

RAFFERTY, K.L.; HERRING, S.W.*; Univ. of Washington; Univ. of Washington: In Vivo Biomechanics of the Snout The snout is a large diameter, thin-walled tubular structure that receives loads from the teeth. It can be conceptualized both as a rigid object and as an assemblage of several bones that interface at sutures. To gain a better […]

BERGMANN, P.J.*; RUSSELL, A.P.; University of Calgary, Calgary; University of Calgary, Calgary: Growth of the original tail in iguanian lizards: Are segmental patterns of growth conserved? The original tail of lizards is composed of discrete, serially repeating vertebrae. Segmental (vertebral) patterns of tail growth were modeled using principal component analysis and compared to geometric mean […]

CLAESSENS, L.P.A.M.; Harvard University: Analysis of the Kinematics of Lung Ventilation in Crocodylians The skeletal and soft tissue kinematics of breathing in Alligator mississippiensis were examined by cineradiography as part of a project investigating the evolution of respiratory mechanisms in the Archosauria. Lung ventilation in A. mississippiensis is diphasic and arrhythmic, and consists of apneic […]

WOODEN, K.M.; WALSBERG, G.E.; Arizona State University; Arizona State University: Temperature independent muscle function in a heterothermic mammal Most birds and mammals must maintain a high and stable body temperature to remain fully functional. A change of more than 2�C in the body temperature of endothermic homeotherms usually leads to a loss of coordinated behavioral […]

AZIZI, E.; BRAINERD, E.L.; Univ. of Massachusetts,Amherst: Strain measurements of angled muscle fibers during swimming in an aquatic salamander Siren lacertina Despite numerous studies that have focused on the mechanics and motor patterns of axial musculature in fishes, a functional understanding of myomere shape and axial muscle architecture has remained elusive. In contrast to the […]