VICKARYOUS, M.K.*; HALL, B.K.; Dalhousie University, Halifax; Dalhousie University, Halifax: Osteoderm development in the American Alligator A wide variety of modern amniotes develop localizations of skeletal material within the integument. Referred to as osteoderms, they are typically considered to represent remnants of the once extensive exoskeleton (dermoskeleton) of early vertebrates. Unusual among skeletal elements, osteoderms […]

SIDLAUSKAS, B.L.; University of Chicago / The Field Museum: Morphological diversification of anostomid and curimatid fishes My research takes advantage of a rare natural experiment to investigate how and why species in the South American freshwater fish family Anostomidae have evolved a diversity of head and jaw shapes that greatly exceeds that of the closely […]

MAISANO, J.A.*; Univ. of Texas, Austin: High-Resolution X-ray CT and the Digital Library of Morphology The study of morphology has long been hampered by scarcity of specimens, limited access to them, and often their small size. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) is an industrial refinement of medical CT offering greater penetration and a two-orders-of-magnitude improvement […]

BECK, A. L.*; BLOB, R. W.; University of Chicago; Clemson University: Form and Function in Tetrapod Locomotion: Implications for the Origin of Mammalian Locomotion Although quadrupedal tetrapods have been historically divided into two groups, sprawling and erect, these distinctions actually represent endpoints of a continuum of observed postures. The ability to distinguish morphological features that […]

HOCHBERG, R; Smithsonian Marine Station: Evolutionary morphology of the head in Thaumastodermatidae (Gastrotricha). Fluid mechanics and evolutionary constraints drive historical transformation of the feeding apparatus Gastrotrichs live in an environment characterized by extremely low Reynolds numbers. The morphology of the gastrotrich feeding apparatus is therefore adapted to overcome viscosity and enhance prey capture. An investigation […]

COOPER, Lisa N.; BERTA, Annalisa; DEMERE, Thomas; Biology Department, San Diego State University; Biology Department, San Diego State University; Paleontology Department, San Diego State University: Evolution of the Baleen Whale Forelimb Mysticetes (baleen whales) are traditionally described as having immobile elbows, wrists and digits, but new evidence suggests some of these joints are mobile. By […]

BERDNIKOVS, Sergejs; University of Cincinnati: Evolution of sexual dimorphism in shape of the pelvic bones of Mustela (Carnivora, Mammalia) The pelvic bones (os coxae) play a critical functional role in animal support, locomotion and parturition. One of the biggest controversies surrounding this structure concerns evolution of differences in pelvic shape between sexes. Two alternative evolutionary […]

MCKENNA, M. F.; CRANFORD, T.W.; BERTA, A.; San Diego State University; San Diego State University; San Diego State University: Defining the odontocete melon: Comparisons using Morphometric Analysis The term �melon� refers to unique lipid soft-tissue structure in all toothed whale foreheads. A large body of evidence suggests that the melon is functionally important in bio-sonar […]

LESOWAY, M.P.*; PAGE, L.R.; University of Victoria, Canada; University of Victoria, Canada: Comparing gastropods during delay of metamorphosis The evolutionary origins of feeding in spiralian larvae are controversial. Despite contradictory claims regarding single or multiple origins of larval feeding, there have been few detailed morphological studies to provide evidence for either argument. Recent phylogenetic work […]

SEDLMAYR, J; REHOREK, S; LEGENZOFF, E; SANJUR, J; Univ. of Ca., Los Angeles; Slippery Rock Univ.; Slippery Rock Univ.; Slippery Rock Univ.: Circadian Endocrinological Network in Archosauria The Amniote Head Project is devoted to the examination of various cephalic structures and systems within the framework of a comparative study of basal and highly derived taxa […]