BELTR�N, JL*; KAJIURA, SM; KOOB, TJ; PORTER, ME; SUMMERS, AP; University of California, Irvine; Florida Atlantic University; Shriners Hospital for Children, Tampa; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine: The diversity of elasmobranch cartilage We measured the material properties and biochemical composition of jaw or chondrocranium cartilage from seven shark species (silky, sandbar, oceanic […]

SZYMIK, Brett G*; SATTERLIE, Richard A; Arizona State University; University of North Carolina at Wilmington: The Kinematics of Pteropod (Clione limacina) Swimming from Tethered and Freely Swimming Animals Pteropod mollusks swim with the use of their wing-like parapodia, which are highly modified foot structures that serve as hydrofoils. Rhythmically flapping these parapodial “wings” serves to […]

EARLY, M.D.*; GOAD, A.J.; PIRTLE, T.J.; Abilene Christian University; Abilene Christian University; Abilene Christian University: The Distribution of FMRF-amide, Serotonin, and Small Cardioactive Peptide b in the Cerata of Hermissenda crassicornis and Flabellina trilineata The aeolid nudibranch molluscs Hermissenda crassicornis and Flabellina trilineata, like most members of the aeolid group incorporate the nematocysts of the […]

VAN TRUMP, W. J.*; PATEK, S. N.; KOEHL, M. A. R.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley: The California spiny lobster�s runny nose. Benthic crustaceans use odors in the water around them to find food and communicate with conspecifics. Members of many species flick their olfactory antennules, which bear […]

SCHUBERT, SN*; WOODLEY, SK; Duquesne University; Duquesne University: Testosterone increases behavioral, but not vomeronasal organ, responses to pheromones in the Plethodontid salamander, Plethodon shermani Pheromones are chemosensory cues transmitted among members of the same species that elicit changes in reproductive behavior and physiology. Non-volatile pheromones are detected by sensory neurons of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) […]

SCHUMACHER, J; COMBIE, K; ENGEL, V; IRVING, K; LIVINGSTON, N; KOOB, T; LONG, J*; Vassar College; Vassar College; Vassar College; Vassar College; Vassar College; Shriners Hospital; Vassar College: Testing an Adaptation Hypothesis for Early Vertebrates with Biomimetic Robots As adults, early fish-like vertebrates bore a notochord as their axial skeleton. Occluding the notochord, bony vertebral […]

DIAZ, M.C.; THACKER, R.W.*; COLLIN, R.; National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC; University of Alabama at Birmingham; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama: Taxonomy and Ecology of Caribbean Sponges: Effective Training for New Investigators In August 2005, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute sponsored a course on the taxonomy and ecology of Caribbean sponges, with a […]

RYBCZYNSKI, Natalia*; FISH , F; MCLELLAN, WA; PABST, DA; Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa; West Chester University, PA ; University of North Carolina – Wilmington, NC; University of North Carolina – Wilmington, NC: THE BEAVER TAIL: FUNCTION IN SWIMMING AND CONNECTIVE-TISSUE STRUCTURE The beaver (Castor canadensis) is more specialized for swimming than any other living […]

PATEL, BIREN, A.*; CARLSON, KRISTIAN, J.; Stony Brook University; Universitat Zurich – Irchel: Subchondral bone mineral density in the distal radius reflects habitual use of the forelimb in sloths and anteaters (Order Xenarthra) Estimates of in vivo joint load history can be made from articular surfaces because bone mineral density is directly proportional to the […]

KINGSLEY, Roni J.*; WONG, Eric; FROELICH, Jenna; MARKS, Carolyn; University of Richmond; University of Richmond; University of Richmond; University of Richmond: Spine Formation in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Aplacophoran Molluscs The aplacophora are a specialized class of molluscs with a derived vermiform shape. They are indigenous to all oceans and are typically found in deep-sea sediment. […]