BOURDEAU, P.E.; Stony Brook University: Integration of anti-predator behavior and morphology in three species of rocky intertidal gastropods Prey organisms have evoloved behavioral and morphological defenses that reduce their susceptibility to predation. However, until recently the joint evolution of anti-predator behavior and morphology has received little attention. I examined the relationship between anti-predator behavior and […]

CALDWELL, M.S.*; MCDANIEL, J.G.; WARKENTIN, K.M.; Boston University: Do red-eyed treefrog embryos use frequency cues in distinguishing egg predators from benign disturbances? Red-eyed treefrogs Agalychnis callidryas lay eggs on leaves overhanging seasonal ponds. If attacked by egg-eating snakes or wasps, the embryos hatch rapidly up to 30% prematurely, escaping to the water below. Other disturbances, […]

PRATT, M.C.; GRASON, E.W.; Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME; Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME: Do invasive species provide the opportunity to watch evolution in action in predator-prey interactions. Introduced species can become dominant if they are released from predation, outcompete prior residents, or occupy an open niche. The bryozoan Membranipora membranacea was introduced into the Gulf of […]

GRANT, Jacqualine B; Colorado State University: Defensive behaviors affect caterpillar anatomy Regurgitation is a common defensive strategy in many insects � to the point of being assumed ubiquitous among lepidopterous larvae. I tested this hypothesis by assaying defensive responses of 35 species of larvae from 16 lepidopteran families. Regurgitation was not a universal defensive behavior […]

TAKAGI, Kimberly K.; REIHANIFAM, Nadia; FREITAS, Brad; WRIGHT, William G.; Chapman University; Chapman University; Chapman University; Chapman University: Chemical versus cognitive defenses in opisthobranch mollusks. Across evolutionary time, animals have evolved a variety of predator defenses. We are studying two such defenses in the California sea hare, Aplysia californica. First, Aplysia increases the vigor of […]

BERKE, Sarah K; WOODIN, Sarah A; Univ of South Carolina; Univ of South Carolina: Behavioral balancing acts: energy and mortality trade-offs in young decorator crabs To address the fitness impacts associated with a common behavior (decoration of the body surface), we conducted experiments assessing the impact of decorating behavior on growth and mortality risk in […]

CLAMP, J.C.; North Carolina Central Univ.: Possible artificial introductions of freshwater peritrich ciliates and their implications for assessment of protistan biodiversity The planktonic, sessiline peritrichs Epicarchesium pectinatum (Zacharias, 1897) and Pelagovorticella natans (Faur�-Fremiet, 1924) were collected from different tributaries of the St. Lucie River, Florida. Epistylis procumbens Zacharias, 1897, another planktonic sessiline, was collected near […]

VENCES, M; THOMAS, M; VAN DER MEIJDEN, A; CHIARI, Y; VIEITES*, D.R.; Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Zoological Museum University of Amsterdam, Mauritskade 61, PO Box 94766, 1090 GT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institut f�r Genetik, Abteilung f�r Evolutionsgenetik, Universit�t K�ln, Weyertal 121, 50931 K�ln, Germany; Department of Biology (Evolutionary Biology), University of Konstanz, 78457 […]

WAINWRIGHT, P.C.; Univ. of California, Davis: Morphological similarity is not limiting in labrid fishes: global diversity patterns on coral reefs The concept of limiting similarity states that species can only coexist in a community if they maintain some minimum degree of ecological difference. I searched for evidence of limiting similarity in labrid fishes by evaluating […]

MUNSON, D.A.*; PAGET, T.A.; Washington College, Chestertown, MD; The University of Hull, Hull, UK: Isolation of Acanthamoeba from North Sea Coastal Environments Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae that are ubiquitous in nature. Some species in the genus are opportunistic pathogens of humans. Acanthamoeba spp. have been isolated from a wide variety of sources including marine […]