MCFADDEN, C.S.*; SANCHEZ, J.A.; FRANCE, S.C.; Harvey Mudd College; Smithsonian Institution; College of Charleston: The evolution of colony morphology in Octocorallia: a phylogenetic approach. The anthozoan subclass Octocorallia includes the orders Pennatulacea (sea pens) and Alcyonacea (soft corals and sea fans). All but one of the approximately 2000 species in this group are colonial, and […]
year: 2004
Peptides and the interpretation of positional information in Hydra
BOSCH, Thomas C.G.; University of Kiel: Peptides and the interpretation of positional information in Hydra Understanding the “tool kit” that builds the most fundamental aspects of animal complexity requires data from basal animals. Among the earliest diverging animal phyla are the Cnidaria which are the first in having a defined body plan including an axis, […]
Patterns and processes of hydrozoan polyp and colony evolution
CARTWRIGHT, P.; University of Kansas: Patterns and processes of hydrozoan polyp and colony evolution The notion that developmental processes hold clues into the order and classification of animal life can be traced back to the earliest recordings of biological investigations. Not until recently however, due to advances in phylogenetics and developmental biology, has it been […]
Longevity and Environmental Signaling
BLACKSTONE, Neil; Northern Illinois University: Longevity and Environmental Signaling The principal invertebrate model systems for studying longevity��worms and flies��have provided considerable insight into the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying aging. Nevertheless, these models have limitations: as adults, worms are completely post-mitotic and flies nearly so. Given the potential significance of stem cells as a therapeutic for […]
Conservation of a Developmental Mechanism Basic-Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors in Cell Fate Specification
GRENS, A.; Indiana University South Bend: Conservation of a Developmental Mechanism: Basic-Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors in Cell Fate Specification Hox genes and their role in patterning is perhaps the most extensively studied example of a conserved molecular mechanism for a developmental process. However, cell fate specification, the commitment of a multipotent cell to one specific cell […]
Basal metazoans and the evolution of circulatory systems
BRIDGE, D.B.*; GORDON, A.A.; SHAFFER, A.L.; Elizabethtown College: Basal metazoans and the evolution of circulatory systems Systems of fluid-bearing tubes or canals are present in colonial cnidarians as well as sponges. This raises the question of whether conserved mechanisms regulating the development of branching, fluid-bearing tubes arose early within the Metazoa. In vertebrates, the secreted […]
28S rDNA Data Further Resolve the Phylogeny of Cnidaria
COLLINS, AG; MEDINA, M; COLLINS, JA; SCHIERWATER, B; TiHo-Hannover; Joint Genome Institute; TiHo-Hannover; TiHo-Hannover: 28S rDNA Data Further Resolve the Phylogeny of Cnidaria Cnidaria has been the subject of several analyses of molecular data that attempt to resolve evolutionary relationships among and within its component groups. These studies have renewed interest in cnidarian character evolution […]
What is the functional basis of improved escape performance during early development in the rainbow trout
GIBB, A.C.; LIU, C.*; WESP, H.M.; SWANSON, B.O.; Northern Arizona University: What is the functional basis of improved escape performance during early development in the rainbow trout? For many fishes, most mortality occurs during the larval period. Thus, the ability to produce an escape response during this time may be critically important to individual fitness. […]
What causes among-individual variation in resting metabolic rate
MIAMEN, A.G.*; FEGHAHATI, H.; LEWNO, A.W.; STEYERMARK, A.C.; University of St. Thomas; University of St. Thomas; University of St. Thomas; University of St. Thomas: What causes among-individual variation in resting metabolic rate? Organisms are thought to have a limited amount of energy to allocate to processes such as resting metabolism, activity, growth and reproduction. Because […]
Water balance in seed-harvester ants effects of mating and a test of the chthonic hypothesis for discontinuous gas exchange
GIBBS, Allen G.; JOHNSON, Robert A.; Univ. of Arizona; Arizona State Univ.: Water balance in seed-harvester ants: effects of mating and a test of the chthonic hypothesis for discontinuous gas exchange The two major routes for water loss from most insects are transpiration through the cuticle and respiratory water loss when the spiracles are open. […]
