BELANGER, Jim H; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge: Strategies and tactics in motor control Vertebrates and arthropods share the common problem of controlling a rigid, articulated skeleton using neurally-controlled, striated muscle. Since this condition has arisen independently in the two groups, there is no reason to assume, a priori, that the control mechanisms used by […]

WINGES, S. A.*; SANTELLO, M.; Arizona State University: Control of whole hand grasping: A role for motor unit synchronization? Previous work on multi-digit grasping has shown that normal forces exerted by pairs of digits tend to be synchronized across a variety of task conditions. We have suggested that motor unit (MU) synchrony might play a […]

SANTELLO, M.; Arizona State University: Control of the hand: coordination of multiple variables in the kinematic, kinetic and EMG domain The hand is one of the most fascinating and sophisticated motor systems. The hand�s complex biomechanical and neural architecture poses important and challenging questions on the control strategies that underlie the fine coordination of finger […]

SCHREINER, Jennifer N; BELANGER, Jim H; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge: Comparative Approaches to Understanding Load Adaptation in Crustacean Locomotion We are interested in the mechanisms underlying adaptation to load by locomotor systems. Amphibious shore crabs (Carcinas maenas) must routinely accommodate large load changes as they move in and out […]

BAGATTO, B; University of Akron: Ontogeny of Cardiovascular Regulation in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio): Plasticity During Environmental Changes Both sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the autonomic nervous system innervate the myocardium and the pacemaker region of the fish heart. Modulation of the vagal action or tonus on the fish heart is a major regulatory mechanism […]

BURGGREN, W.W.; Univ. of North Texas: How Developing Animals Ignore Physiological Dogma Ecological physiology is replete with time-honored guiding principles that have emerged precisely because they seem so universal in their application (e.g. allometric determination of physiological rates; linkage of function to form; size-dependent need for convective blood transport; acclimitization to environmental change, etc.). Yet, […]

VARSAMOS, S.; NEBEL, C.; CHARMANTIER, G.*; Univ. of Montpellier, France: Fitted to fit: Ontogeny of Osmoregulation in Fish Salinity and its variations are among the key factors that affect survival, metabolism and distribution during the fish development. The successful establishment of a fish species in a given habitat depends on the ability of each developmental […]

CRESPI, E.J.*; DENVER, R.J.; Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor: Corticotropin-releasing hormone regulates locomotion and foraging behaviors in spadefoot toad (Spea hammondii) tadpoles and juveniles Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and corticosterone (CORT) are primary components of the vertebrate stress axis and are involved in food intake regulation. We investigated the effects of CRH and CORT on foraging […]

ROBERTS, S.P.*; ELEKONICH, M.M.; Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas; Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas: Physiological Underpinnings of Age-Related and Environmentally-Mediated Phenotypic Plasticity in Honey Bees Honey bee workers exhibit a form of behavioral development termed �temporal polyethism�, progressing through a series of behavioral stages in an age-related fashion. Younger individuals work inside the hive at […]

HARRISON, J.F.; GREENLEE, K.J.; KIRKTON, S.D.; Arizona State University; Arizona State University; Arizona State University: Ontogeny of tracheal system function in insects The amazing diversity of insect respiratory systems and their range of morphological and physiological changes during development challenge our ability to describe tracheal development with simple generalities. However, one clear pattern is an […]