Meeting Abstract 58.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Dye- and electrical-coupling between gastric and pyloric neurons in the stomatogastric ganglion of the lobster Homarus americanus, BIERMAN, H.S.*; TOBIN, A-E; REHM, K.J.; MARDER, E.; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA hilaryb@brandeis.edu The importance and prevalence of electrical synapses in vertebrate […]

Meeting Abstract 58.4  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Brains, neurotransmitters, nursing, and foraging in the ant Pheidole dentata MUSCEDERE, M.L.*; SEID, M.; JOHNSON, N.; WILLEY, T.; GILLIS, B.; TRANIELLO, J.F.A.; Boston University; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Boston University; Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Boston University; Boston University mario@bu.edu Temporal polyethism, or age-correlated task performance, is a near universal feature of […]

Meeting Abstract 58.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6  A new perspective on the echinoderm nervous system: abundant histaminergic and FMRFaminergic-like cells in the sea cucumber Leptosynapta clarki HOEKSTRA, L.A.*; MOROZ, L.L.; HEYLAND, A.; Friday Harbor Labs; Indiana University ; Friday Harbor Labs; The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida; Friday Harbor Labs; University of Guelph lhoekstr@indiana.edu Understanding […]

Meeting Abstract 57.2  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Synarcual Variation in the Purportedly Invariable Clade, Rajidae CLAESON, Kerin M.; The University of Texas at Austin kclaeson@mail.utexas.edu Batoid fishes (electric rays, sawfishes, skates, guitarfishes, and stingrays) are united by a suite of characters including the presence of the synarcual, a tube-like skeletal element hypothesized to be the fused anterior-most vertebrae […]

Meeting Abstract 57.3  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Phylogeny of early vertebrates based on evidence from developmental study of hagfish OTA, K.G.*; KURATANI, S; RIKEN CDB; RIKEN CDB ota_kinya@cdb.riken.jp Hagfish is still located on the most basal position in the morphological phylogenetic tree of vertebrates, even though the monophyletic relationship between this animal and lamprey was confirmed by a […]

Meeting Abstract 57.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Multivariate comparative analysis using OUCH BUTLER, MA*; KING, AA; University of Hawaii; University of Michigan mbutler@hawaii.edu Correlated evolution, the hypothesis that evolutionary forces are acting on characters jointly, is a major feature of evolutionary theory. For example, whether genome size evolves in correlation with basal metabolic rate is a question which […]

Meeting Abstract 57.6  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Evolutionary rates and patterns of artiodactyl limb reduction BORMET, A.K.*; MARCOT, J.D.; SEARS, K.E.; Univ. of Illinois; Univ. of Illinois; Univ. of Illinois bormet1@illinois.edu Many clades of artiodactyls show evolutionary reductions in the number of distal elements of their limb skeleton, either through the fusion of two bones or the loss […]

Meeting Abstract 57.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Determining Phylogenetic Relationships of microhylid frogs using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Gene Sequences RIVERA, J.A.*; BUTLER, M.; University of Hawaii, Manoa; University of Hawaii, Manoa julio.rivera85@gmail.com Microhylidae represents an ancient group of Anuras that was thought to have diverged from its Indo-Asian relatives some 64-84 mya (Van der Meijden et al., 2007). […]

Meeting Abstract 57.4  Tuesday, Jan. 6  A dynamic approach to digital homology in Tetanura (Dinosauria: Theropoda) CHOINIERE, Jonah N*; CLARK, James M; XING, Xu; FORSTER, Catherine A; George Washington University, Washington, DC; George Washington University, Washington, DC; Institute for Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; George Washington University, Washington, DC jonahc@gwu.edu A long-standing issue in evolutionary biology […]

Meeting Abstract 56.5  Tuesday, Jan. 6  The Measurement and Interpretation of Phylogenetic Signal REVELL, Liam J.*; COLLAR, David C.; HARMON, Luke J.; Harvard University; Harvard University; University of Idaho lrevell@fas.harvard.edu Recently, biologists have been inclined to make process-oriented inferences from measures of phylogenetic signal, defined as the pattern of statistical dependence among the observations for species related […]