ESTES, J.M.*; WIBBELS, T.; HILLIS-STARR, Z.; PHILLIPS, B.; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Alabama at Birmingham; National Park Service: Influence of weather and nest location on hatchling sex ratios of hawksbill sea turtles at Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands The hawksbill sea turtle, Erethmochelys imbricata, possesses temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) […]

STROTHER, J. A.; MCHENRY, M. J.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Harvard University: How do marine invertebrate larvae orient to light? A numerical simulation of phototaxis in ascidian larvae. A diversity of marine invertebrate larvae orient their swimming to light. By swimming towards or away from the light, a larva can move up or down in […]

DRABEK, C.M.; BURNS, J.M.; Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington; University of Alaska Anchorage: Heart and aorta morphology of the deep diving hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) An investigation of the heart morphology of eight male and 15 female hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) revealed that the heart is proportionately large and the aortic bulb is larger than […]

WAGNER, C.A.; LI, S.; FRIESEN, J.A.; BORST, D.W.; Illinois State University, Normal: HMG-CoA Reductase acitivity in the fat body of the lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera. Isoprenoid dolichols are associated with the glycosylation of insect vitellogenin (Vg), a major yolk protein produced by the fat body (FB). Therefore, we studied the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase […]

MARTINEZ, V.G.; ZORAN, M.J.; Texas A&M University; Texas A&M University: Giant Axon Morphallaxis During Segmental Regeneration Of Lumbriculus variegatus Lumbriculus variegatus, a freshwater oligochaete worm, demonstrates patterned regeneration of lost body parts and morphallaxis of original body parts (neural reflexes and behavior) following segmental amputation. Axial gradients in neurophysiological function of medial and lateral giant […]

CLOTFELTER, E.C.*; INGHAM, R.R.; GESUALDI, D.A.; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College: Genistein exposure and growth of fathead minnows We examined the effects of the isoflavone genistein on the growth and development of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. Using a static-renewal test design, minnows were exposed for 96 hours to genistein dissolved in water at […]

STEYERMARK, A.C.*; DIAMOND, J.; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles: Functional design of the gut: nitrogen processing Case studies in physiology and anatomy suggest that the design of cells, tissues, and organs is quantitatively adjusted to functional needs, such that the body uses available materials and space efficiently. Series pathways in […]

OWERKOWICZ, T.; MUNNS, S.; HICKS, J.W.; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine: Function of the postpulmonary septum in lung ventilation in Varanus. Monitor lizards (genus Varanus) are unique among the Squamates in possessing a postpulmonary septum (PPS). The PPS is a nonmuscular membrane, adhering closely to the caudoventral surface […]

KAJIURA, S.M.; University of California, Irvine: Function of the Hammerhead Shark Cephalofoil It has been supposed that the evolution of the wing-like cephalofoil head of hammerhead sharks (Chondrichthyes, Sphyrnidae) was driven either by sensory systems or hydrodynamic concern; however there is little experimental evidence in favor of either group of hypotheses. The scalloped hammerhead shark, […]

HARMS, H. K.; PAITZ, R. T.; JANZEN, F. J.; Iowa State University; Iowa State University; Iowa State University: From microsatellites to satellites: A multifaceted look at Blanding�s turtles in Iowa Humans have dramatically altered the landscape over the past two centuries. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state of Iowa, where 91% of […]