DICKISON, M.R.; Duke University: Are birds small? A macroecological perspective. Are birds small? Birds seem smaller than mammals, because almost all birds fly while few mammals do, and flight imposes severe constraints on body size. The most commonly cited study of avian and mammalian body size found modal sizes of about 10 g and 100 […]

COHEN, J.H.*; SINKHORN, E.R.; FORWARD, JR, R.B.; Duke University Marine Laboratory; Duke University Marine Laboratory; Duke University Marine Laboratory: The Role of Light in Diel Vertical Migration: field measurements of copepod migration behavior and the biologically relevant light environment Behavioral responses of zooplankton to light are regarded as the primary proximate factor regulating diel vertical […]

THEOBALD, J.C.; O’CARROLL, D.C.; University of Washington; Adelaide University: Spatiotemporal aliasing: a motion illusion in nocturnal hovering hawkmoths We have found a curious motion illusion in the wide-field motion-sensitive lobula plate cells of certain nocturnal hawkmoths. These cells, found in many insects, are sensitive to spatial and temporal frequency, contrast, and direction of a stimulus. […]

RIFFELL, J.A.*; ZIMMER, R.K.; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Los Angeles: Sex and the single cell: Mechanisms of sperm chemoattraction in laminar shear flows Sperm attractants have been implicated as key mediators of gamete recognition operating prior to cell contact, particularly for animals that broadcast their sperm and eggs into the sea. […]

PHILLIPS, J.B.*; HERBEIN, J.F.; RITZ, T.; FREAKE, M.J.; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech; University of California, Irvine; Lee University: Photoreceptor-based magnetic compass in an amphibian Magnetic compass orientation in amphibians is mediated by a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism (Phillips & Borland 1992. Nature 359:142) involving extraocular photoreceptors located in or near the pineal organ (Deutschlander et al. […]

CHEROSKE, AG; CRONIN, TW; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Phenoptypically plastic color vision in a stomatopod crustacean and its potential effects on color signaling in variable light environments. Many animals have color vision systems that seem well-suited to their local environment. Changes in color vision can occur over long periods […]

COATES, M.C.; THEOBALD, J.C.; Stanford University; University of Washington: Optimal visual parameters for a cubozoan jellyfish in the mangrove environment The cubomedusans are unique among Cnidarians in possessing eyes capable of forming images, but how these eyes are used in the wild is a mystery. Our hypothesis is that detecting self motion is a major […]

SPRAYBERRY, J.D.H.; HOWELL, S.; Univ. of Washington: Hawk moths, flower tracking and frequencies: implications for functional performance Hawk moths hover rather than perch when feeding from flowers. However, flowers in nature are not static targets; natural currents or airflow generated by moth wing beats induce flower motion during feeding events. The interaction between feeding and […]

ADAMS, Julie A.; MOORE, Paul A.; Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green State University: Foraging in a complex chemical background: DOM from elevated CO2 detritus and its impact on crayfish orientation to a food source Organisms extract information from the environment to make behaviorally relevant decisions. Many organisms use chemical information to perform a variety […]

SWEENEY, A.M.; JOHNSEN, S.; Duke University; Duke University: Biological Optical Instruments in the Deep Sea Biologically generated optical instruments such as lenses, light guides and transparent tissues are an important part of the ecology of many metazoans, especially in midwater depths of the ocean. For example, organisms such as the hyperiid amphipod Phronima use fiber […]