HEAD, J.M.*; TERWILLIGER, N.B.; Univ. of Oregon, OIMB: Expression of hif-1α in the brachyuran crustacean Cancer magister. We are investigating the possible role of the hypoxia-dependent transcription factor, Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1), in the response of crustaceans to hypoxia. In other organisms, the alpha subunit of HIF-1 dimerizes with the beta subunit under hypoxic conditions […]

COBLENTZ, F. E.*; TOWLE, D. W.; SHAFER, T. H.; University of North Carolina at Wilmington; Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory; University of North Carolina at Wilmington: Expressed sequence tags from normalized cDNA libraries prepared from gill and hypodermal tissues of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Two cDNA libraries were constructed from gill and hypodermal tissue […]

HUANG, H.-D.; RITTSCHOF, D.; JENG, M.-S.; Duke Univ.; Duke Univ.; Academia Sinica, Taiwan: Visual Orientation of the Symbiotic Snapping Shrimp Synalpheus demani Visually cues play an important role in crustacean shelter-seeking behavior. We hypothesize that Synalpheus demani, an obligate crinoid-dwelling snapping shrimp, uses visual cues in host location. We tested shrimp response to rectangular visual […]

PEREZ, S.; WEIS, V.; Oregon State University: Production of Nitric Oxide in the symbiotic cnidarian Aiptasia pallida as a function of heat stress Stressful environmental conditions, such as elevated temperature, cause the symbiotic association between many cnidarians and the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium to become unstable resulting in the release of the symbiotic algal cells from host […]

O’GRADY, S/P*; DEARING, M/D; University of Utah; University of Utah: Isotopic insight into host-endosymbiont relationships Nitrogen isotopes have been widely used to investigate trophic pathways in ecological systems and research has shown an isotopic enrichment of 2-5� with trophic level increases. Few studies have used isotopic relationships to examine ecological systems within an animal. We […]

MCCOY, A.M.; Harvard University: Host-Symbiont Specificity in a Microalgal-Invertebrate Symbiosis One of the key issues in microalgal-invertebrate symbiosis is the mechanisms by which host-symbiont specificity is determined and maintained. This includes both the recognition of appropriate symbionts and post-ingestion regulation of symbionts. The mechanisms remain unknown for many associations in part because only a limited […]

ERWIN, Patrick M.*; THACKER, Robert W.; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Alabama at Birmingham: Characterization and Structure of Sponge-Associated Microbial Communities Marine sponges harbor a diverse assemblage of microbial symbionts. Molecular techniques are instrumental in the identification of sponge-associated bacteria and analysis of the stability and structure of sponge microbial communities. We constructed […]

LOMBARDO, R.; CHRISTY, J. H.*; RISSANEN, R.; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Social monogamy in a simultaneous hermaphrodite The pulmonate limpet Siphonaria gigas, lives in the mid to upper rocky intertidal zone in the tropical Eastern Pacific. Except when foraging during nocturnal low tides, individuals occupy scars, fixed positions on the rock surface to which the […]

EERNISSE, D.J.; Calif. State Univ., Fullerton: Similar but independent origins of selfing in two West Coast hermaphroditic chiton brooders. Two small chitons species that can brood embryos when isolated in the lab are relatively distantly related within a West Coast clade of chitons. These two, Lepidochitona fernaldi Eernisse, 1986 and L. caverna Eernisse, 1986, are […]

LEONARD, J.L.*; PEARSE, J.S.; BREUGHELMANS, K.; BACKELJAU, T.; Univ. of California, Santa Cruz; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels: Rapid Evolution in Banana Slugs (Ariolimax spp.) (Gastropoda; Stylommatophora: Arionidae): Sexual Behavior Indicates the Direction of Evolution. The diversity of genital morphology in the genus Ariolimax is suggestive of rapid evolution. This view is supported […]