YOUNG, Nathan M*; WAT, Stephen; DIEWERT, Virginia; HALLGRIMSSON, Benedikt; University of Calgary; University of Calgary; University of British Columbia; University of Calgary: The Relationship of Embryonic Facial Size to Adult Facial Length Facial length is an evolutionarily labile trait in mammals whose expression has numerous functional implications. There are many possible developmental mechanisms for variation […]

FARLEY , R. D.; University of California, Riverside: Scorpion respiratory organogenesis: spiracles, sac-like invaginations and book lung lamellae Scorpions are thought to be monophyletic, but comparative studies (SEM) show variation in the developmental stage when certain structures appear (heterochrony). Also, transitory structures in embryos of some species may be absent or only slightly expressed in […]

STORZ, Brian; Florida State University: Polyphenism, Plasticity, and Canalized Rapid Development; Modifications of the Developmental Program in Spadefoot Toads Is there a common means by which a developmental program is modified via polyphenism, plasticity, or canalization, or do these modifications of the developmental program represent fundamentally different processes? New World spadefoot toads are an excellent […]

KURATANI, S*; NAGASHIMA, H; KURAKU, S; USUDA, R; CDB RIKEN, Kobe, Japan: Nature and function of the carapacial ridge in the turtle embryo The turtle carapace is an evolutionary novelty acquired through the modification of rib patterning. In the turtle embryo, the lateral margin of carapacial anlage is seen as the carapacial ridge (CR), which […]

TAYLOR, S/M; GRACE, M/S*; Florida Institute of Technology: Evolution and Ecology of Vision: Development of Photoreceptor Arrays in Elopomorph Fish The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and the speckled worm eel (Myrophis punctatus) belong to the teleost subdivision Elopomorpha, an assemblage of four orders grouped primarily on the basis of remarkably similar larval form. As adults, […]

HAHN, DA; University of Florida: Characterization of hexameric storage proteins during development and reproduction in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis. Unlike vertebrates, insects are capable of accumulating substantial amino acid reserves and do so primarily in the form of hexameric storage proteins. Documenting the allocation of amino acids to current utilization versus storage for later […]

SANTINI, F; University of Toronto: Was the fish specific genome duplication the cause of the high diversity of teleost fishes? During the past few years a number of genomic studies have corroborated the idea that a duplication of the entire genome happened in the ancestor of teleost fishes. Comparing the high species diversity as a […]

BIRD, NC*; HERNANDEZ, LC; George Washington University; George Washington University: Origin of complex structures: Zebrafish as the new model organism for investigating morphological innovation For the last decade the zebrafish has played an increasingly important role in biomedical research. Such research, exploiting conserved developmental processes among vertebrates in order to better extrapolate to humans, has […]

ALBERTSON, R. Craig*; STREELMAN, J. Todd; KOCHER, Thomas D.; YELICK, Pamela C.; Forsyth Institute; Georgia Institute of Technology; Univ. of New Hampshire; Forsyth Institute: Integration and Evolution of the Teleost Mandible: The Molecular Basis of Alternate Feeding Strategies The cichlid jaw is an icon of Darwinian evolution by natural selection. Highly specialized modes of feeding […]

LIAO, James C.*; FETCHO, Joseph R.; Cornell University: Identification of sensory spinal interneurons by using optical, genetic, and electrophysiological techniques in larval zebrafish Sensory feedback is critical to move successfully in complex environments, yet little is known about the pattern of cellular activity in response to sensory inputs to the spinal cord. Here we use […]