SOCKMAN, KW*; WEBSTER, MS; TALBOT, V; SCHWABL, H; Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Washington State Univ.; Washington State Univ.; Washington State Univ.: Sex-Specific Effects of Yolk Androgens in American Kestrels Female birds deposit high concentrations of androgen hormones into the yolks of their eggs as they are formed on the ovarian follicle. In several […]

DREA, C.M.; Duke University: Could female ringtailed lemurs be �masculinized� by maternal androgens? To examine the broader application of hormonal mechanisms of behavioral and morphological masculinization described for the female spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta ), the present study explored a similar, but less extreme, phenomenon in the ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta ), a Malagaszy primate […]

GOYMANN, W*; MUCK, C; SCHWABL, I; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology: Blocking androgen and estrogen action does not affect territorial behaviour of sex-role reversed female black coucals Centropus grillii In male birds, territorial behavior and song during the breeding season is commonly modulated by androgens. In classically polyandrous bird species, the sex roles are reversed, […]

METZGER, K.A.; Brown University: The effect of food properties on intraoral transport kinematics in lizards Numerous studies have examined the nature and magnitude of feeding movements during intraoral transport in lizards, but few have quantitatively accounted for the effects of food properties (i.e., mass, hardness, mobility) on the use of the feeding system to process […]

MARSHALL, C.D.*; DEHNHARDT, G.; Texas A&M University at Galveston; Ruhr-Universit�t Bochum: Suction Capability and Performance in Feeding Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) Measures of suction generation capability in harbor seals were collected as part of a comparative study on the feeding performance of pinnipeds. Although suction is thought to be an important component of the feeding […]

ROSS, CF; University of Chicago: How do primates chew harder? Mammalian mastication is a rhythmic activity used to break down foods with a variety of material properties. How do mammals chew harder foods? Do they chew faster or slower? How do they modulate bite force? Corpus bone strain data were collected from seven species of […]

MCBRAYER, LD; HERREL, AH*; LARSON, PM; Georgia Southern University; University of Antwerp; St. Anselm College : Functional basis for intersexual differences in bite force in the lizard Anolis carolinensis In many species of lizards, males attain greater body size and have larger heads than females of the same size. Often this dimorphism in head size […]

ASHLEY-ROSS, MA*; WADE, HS; Wake Forest University; Wake Forest University: Fearsome fangs and fast feet: Kinematics of prey capture in tarantulas Tarantulas are large, predatory spiders of the family Theraphosidae. Adult sizes range from 4 � 10 inches across the outspread legs, and these spiders are capable of eating prey up to mice and birds […]

VINYARD, Christopher J; WALL, Christine E*; WILLIAMS , Susan H; JOHNSON , Kirk R; HYLANDER, William L; NEOUCOM; Duke University; Ohio University; Duke University; Duke University: Are jaw-muscle activity patterns correlated with masticatory apparatus morphology among primate species? A long-standing hypothesis in studies of primate mastication argues that morphological changes in the masticatory apparatus have […]

SIDLAUSKAS, B.L.; University of Chicago and The Field Museum: Unequal rates of morphological diversification in sister clades of characiform fishes Why have certain groups of organisms diversified greatly in morphology, while closely related groups have not? This study took advantage of a rare natural experiment to determine whether apparent differences in morphological diversity between the […]