SISON-MANGUS, MP*; BRISCOE, AD; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine: Evolutionary origin of a blue opsin gene duplication in lycaenid butterflies Duplication of opsin genes followed by functional diversification is the evolutionary mechanism that enabled invertebrates to gain trichromatic vision. Recently, a novel blue opsin duplication was found in the genus Lycaena that […]

TODT, C.*; TYLER, S.; Univ. of Maine, Orono; Univ. of Maine, Orono: Comparative studies on the pharynx simplex of Acoela The homology of pharynges within the mostly pharynx-less Acoela has been a matter of discussion for decades, and still the basic question of whether a pharynx is a primitive trait within the Acoela and is […]

HULSEY, CD*; STREELMAN, JT; Georgia Tech; Georgia Tech: Cichlid Pharyngeal Jaw Fusion: Is Suturing the Key to Unparalleled Trophic Divergence? The pharyngeal jaw of cichlids and other labroid fishes may represent a key innovation that facilitated their unparalleled trophic divergence. However, the cichlid pharyngeal jaw exhibits a transitional phenotype between the condition found in most […]

LEICHTER, J.J.; HELMUTH, B.*; FISCHER, A.M.; Scripps Inst. Oceanography; Univ. South Carolina, Columbia; Cornell Univ., Ithaca: What lies beneath the surface: quantifying complex thermal environments on corals reefs Understanding patterns of water temperature on coral reefs has become of prime importance in forecasting patterns of physiological stress due to changing environmental conditions. However, these patterns […]

RODRIGUEZ-LANETTY, Mauricio*; WEIS , Virginia M; PHILLIPS, Wendy S; Oregon State University: Transcriptome analysis of a cnidarian � dinoflagellate mutualism reveals complex modulation of host gene expression Cnidarian � dinoflagellate endosymbioses are one of the most important mutualisms in the marine environment. They form the trophic and structural foundation of coral reef ecosystems. Despite the […]

GOFFREDO, S.; LASKER, H.R.*; University of Bologna; University at Buffalo: Modular Growth of a Gorgonian Coral Generates Predictable Patterns of Colony And Population Growth The modular construction of colonial organisms can generate complex growth patterns that incorporate both growth and partial mortality. While that patterning can confound simple descriptions of growth it is not a […]

BASCH, L.V.; University of Hawai’i, Manoa, National Park Service: Marine Conservation Science: Examples in a Network of National Parks and Marine Protected Areas in Hawai�i The persistence of benthic ecosystems including coral reefs and their component species depends on natural processes affecting the replacement of adult individuals within populations by young life stages (animal larvae […]

COWART, J.D.**; PAWLIK, J.R; Univ. of North Carolina Wilmington; Univ. of North Carolina Wilmington: Is there a trade-off between reproduction and growth form for two closely related Florida reef sponges? Sponges are prominent members of coral reef communities, where they often rival scleractinian and alcyonarian corals in both diversity and abundance. Nevertheless, little is know […]

ERWIN, P. M.*; THACKER, R. W.; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Alabama at Birmingham: Incidence and Importance of Photosynthetic Symbionts in Shallow-Water Sponge Communities Symbioses between marine sponges and photosynthetic organisms (e.g. cyanobacteria) have been described from coral reef communities; however, the frequency of these associations and the ecological nature of interactions between […]

TARRANT, A.M.*; CORT�S, J.; BEZY, B; JOHANNING, K.J.; CHIANG, T.C.; VARGAS, J.A.; MCLACHLAN, J.A.; Woods Hole Oceanographic Instition, Woods Hole, MA; University of Costa Rica, San Jose; University of Costa Rica, San Jose; University of New Orleans, LA; Tulane University, New Orleans, LA; University of Costa Rica, San Jose; Tulane University, New Orleans, LA: Identification […]