NICHOLS, T. Richard; Emory University, Atlanta, GA: Differing Roles of Length and Force Feedback in the Regulation of Motor Coordination The study of musculoskeletal biomechanics and muscle physiology is critical to understanding the manner in which neural mechanisms mediate coordinated movement. Substantial progress has been made in elucidating the roles of sensory feedback from muscle […]

CHIEL, Hillel J; Case Western Reserve University: Neuromechanics of Multifunctionality How do animals deploy a group of muscles and neurons to generate qualitatively different behaviors? In engineered devices, different functions are cleanly assigned to different sub-components. In contrast, in biological systems, fluid and rapid reconfiguration of both the periphery and nervous system are utilized to […]

DANIEL, T.*; HEDRICK, T; Univ. of Washington, Seattle; Univ. of Washington, Seattle: Inverse analysis of flight control of Hawkmoths The three dimensional flight paths of insects are the result of complex temporal patterns of muscle activation which, coupled to the exoskeleton, create particular kinematic patterns of wing motion. These kinematic patterns result in aerodynamic forces […]

SATTERLIE, R.*; SZYMIK, B.; University of North Carolina Wilmington; Arizona State University: Changing Locomotory Speed in a Mollusk: From Neurons to Mechanics The change from slow to fast swimming in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina has been described at the circuit and cellular levels. Thus far, we can relate neuronal activity to increases in locomotor […]

HALE, M. E.; Univ. of Chicago, IL: Cells, circuits and swimming: examining the neuromuscular control of locomotion with the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Understanding the organization and function of neural circuits in the brain and spinal cord has been a major goal of neuroscientists. The high complexity and inaccessibility of the central nervous system has made […]

HERNANDEZ, LP; George Washington University: Zebrafish: A model system for investigating the generation of novel feeding mechanisms Most research using zebrafish exploits the enormous conservation seen within vertebrate embryogenesis and early larval development. Such conserved processes allow easy extrapolation regarding biomedical implications. Yet in ignoring what makes zebrafish different, we are overlooking the utility of […]

MABEE, P.M.; Univ. of South Dakota, Vermillion: Integrating CToL-related studies with available phenotype and genomics databases for the zebrafish The developing phenotype figures prominently in the work of developmental biology, and connecting gene expression and function to phenotypic effects are major emphases in studies of zebrafish and other model organisms. Approaches toward making this connection […]

MCCUNE, A.R.; Cornell University: Insights from natural variation in Danio rerio Most genetic screens of zebrafish have relied on artificial mutagenesis to generate genetic mutants. However, by inbreeding individuals from wild populations of zebrafish, many natural mutations can be recovered. Study of such natural mutants can be just as informative about genetic and developmental mechanisms […]

PARICHY, D.M.; University of Washington: Evolutionary genetics of danio pigment pattern development The diverse pigment patterns of Danio fishes provide an outstanding opportunity to dissect the changes in developmental genetic mechanisms underlying evolutionary transformations of adult form. Whereas zebrafish exhibit horizontal stripes, closely related danios have different numbers of stripes, uniform patterns, vertical bars and […]

KIMMEL, CHARLES B.*; MCGUIGAN, KATRINA; ULLMANN, BONNIE; CURREY, MARK; CRESKO, WILLIAM A.; University of Oregon; University of Oregon; University of Oregon; University of Oregon; University of Oregon: Dorsoventral Patterning of Facial Bone Morphology Evolution within the Endothelin1 (Edn1) regulatory pathway might underlie key features of craniofacial evolution. Bone morphology within the opercle-branchiostegal ray series of […]