KOHN, A.J.; DUDA, T.F. Jr.; Univ. of Washington, Seattle; Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor: Hyperdiverse genera: Macroevolutionary and Macroecological Perspectives on Tropical Marine Superclades Several mainly tropical genera of marine animals are hyperdiverse, containing more than 200 extant species. Fishes, corals, and crustaceans are represented, but prosobranch gastropod genera account for the majority. Most of […]

ROBERTSON, Jeanne/M; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; Cornell University: Distribution of phenotypic diversity in a Neotropical Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) Species exhibit natural variation in morphology and behavior, often associated with genetic diversity, or geographic distance, or both. Moreover, morphology and behavior change over time, tracking demographic […]

RAIMONDI, PETER; SAGARIN, RAPHAEL*; AMBROSE, RICHARD; GEORGE, MAYA; LEE, STEVEN; LOHSE, DAVID; MINER, C. MELISSA; MURRAY, STEVEN; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ; CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY […]

DAVIDSON, Brad; SHI, Weiyang; LEVINE, Michael; UC Berkeley; UC Berkeley; UC Berkeley: Origins of the Chordate Heart Prevailing models of vertebrate/arthropod heart development focus on a conserved network of BMP signaling molecules and GATA-4 and Nkx-2.5 transcription factors functioning during gastrulation. There is mounting evidence for an earlier specification event in vertebrates, although the underlying […]

BABBITT, C.C.; PATEL, N.H.; University of Chicago; University of California, Berkeley/HHMI: Developmental phylogenetics of the Malacostraca (Crustacea): using development to construct phylogeny By understanding developmental processes in a phylogenetic framework, “developmental systematics” can provide novel information about both evolution and development. The goal of this project is to define and explore developmental characters, and to […]

GABRIEL, Willow; PATEL, Sapna; GOLDSTEIN, Bob; Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Developing Tardigrades as a New Model for Studying the Evolution of Development How morphological diversity evolves is a central question in biology. We aim to develop tardigrades as a model for studying the evolution of developmental processes that determine morphology. Tardigrades are phylogenetically […]

BANBURY, B.L.*; MAGLIA, A.M.; The University of Missouri-Rolla: Comparative cranial development of premetamorphic pelobatid tadpoles (Anura: Pelobatidae) Adult pelobatid frogs (Anura: Pelobatidae) exhibit extreme variation in the degree of cranial ossification. Scaphiopus and Pelobates have robust hyperossified crania, while Spea is a gracile, poorly ossified frog. Because Scaphiopus and Spea are sister-taxa, this suggests that […]

DAVIS, M.C.*; VOGELI, K.M.; Univ. of California, San Francisco; Univ. of California, San Francisco: Apical ectodermal ridge development in the paired fins of chondrichthyans and basal actinopterygians In tetrapods, limb outgrowth is maintained by a thickened epithelium along the distal margin of the limb bud called the apical ectodermal ridge (AER). The paired fin buds […]

STEWART, J.R.*; THOMPSON, M.B.; ATTAWAY, M.B.; HERBERT, J.F.; MURPHY, C.R.; East TN State Univ; Univ of Sydney; East TN State Univ; Univ of Sydney; Univ of Sydney: Uptake of Dextran-FITC by Placental Membranes of the Placentotrophic Lizard, Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii Placental nutrient provision has evolved in multiple lineages of squamate reptiles and although possible structural specializations […]

SPAETHE, Johannes; BRISCOE, Adriana* D.; University of California, Irvine ; University of California, Irvine: Ultraviolet opsin molecular characterization and expression: Three ommatidial subtypes in the retina and a new photoreceptor organ in the brains of bees Ultraviolet-sensitive photoreceptors have been shown to be important for a variety of visual tasks performed by bees, such as […]