CATENAZZI, Alessandro; Florida International University: The Ulva connection: marine resources subsidize terrestrial consumers in coastal Peru How can terrestrial animals survive in a desert with scant primary productivity? The Peruvian coastal desert is hyper-arid, but faces one of the most productive marine ecosystems, the Peru-Chile cold current. Given the stark difference in productivity between these […]

WILLIAMS, R. L.*; JOHNSON, K. B.; University of South Florida; Florida Institute of Technology: Seasonal Variation, Diet and Prey Selection of the Ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in a Subtropical Estuary Published studies suggest mechanisms controlling blooms of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi vary relative to latitude and, in some estuaries, their presence reduces zooplankton standing stocks. It […]

BARTON, B. T.*; ROTH, J. D.; Yale University; University of Central Florida: Sea turtle nest predators: Implications for community ecology All four species of marine turtle that nest in Florida are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, requiring actions to protect and restore these species. Raccoon (Procyon lotor) predation […]

MCCOY, Michael W*; BOLKER, Ben; OSENBERG, Craig; University of Florida; University of Florida; University of Florida: Predator induced phenotypic plasticity: influence of prey size, density, and experience Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to predators has been documented for many organisms. However, most studies have only examined the phenotypic responses of organisms of a single size […]

SINCLAIR, BJ*; KLOK, CJ; TERBLANCHE, JS; SCOTT, MB; CHOWN, SL; Univ. Nevada, Las Vegas; Arizona State University; Univ. of Stellenbosch, South Africa; Univ. of Otago, New Zealand; Univ. of Stellenbosch, South Africa: Physiological constraints on the small-scale distribution of three species of Antarctic Collembola We investigated the tolerance to cold, heat and desiccation of three […]

BELDEN, L.K.; Virginia Tech: Impact of euthrophication on wood frog tadpoles infected with trematode cercariae Global environmental changes are likely to have profound impacts on disease dynamics in natural systems. To make predictions about what specific impacts are expected, one thing we need is a solid understanding of how the environmental context of host-parasite interactions […]

BARTHELL, J. F.**; THORP, R. W.; MASON, C.; GARVIN, E.; JOHNSON, E.; WELLS, H.; WENNER, A. M.; University of Central Oklahoma; University of California, Davis; University of Tulsa; University of Tulsa; University of Tulsa; University of Tulsa; University of California, Santa Barbara: An Island Ecosystem after Honey Bees: Is a Noxious Weed now Competing for […]

FENOLIO, D.B.*; MOREIRA, L.A.; SILVA, H.L.R.; DA SILVA , N.J. Jr.; Univ. of Miami, Coral Gables; Univ. Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil: A preliminary report on the importance of termite mounds to the herpetofauna of the Cerrado of Central Brazil Termite mounds are a distinctive component to the landscape of a variety of habitats worldwide, […]

BAKER, M.E.; Univ. of California, San Diego: Role of the Environment on the Evolution of Signal Transduction Proteins and Metamorphosis Signal transduction proteins regulate differentiation and development, which are central to metamorphosis. We focus on the role of environmental factors (e.g. climate, chemicals) in the evolution of nuclear receptors and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK), two […]

REITZEL, A.M.*; SULLIVAN, J.C.; FINNERTY, J.R.; Boston Univ.: Metamorphosis in the Life History of a Parasitic Sea Anemone, Edwardsiella lineata Larvae of the sea anemone Edwardsiella lineata selectively parasitize the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. Our observations have shown that a parasite excised from the host will differentiate into a larva that can undergo either of two […]