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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Introduction To The Symposium-Unsteady Aquatic Locomotion With Respect To Eco-Design And Mechanics, Frank E. Fish, Paolo Domenici Oct 2015

Introduction To The Symposium-Unsteady Aquatic Locomotion With Respect To Eco-Design And Mechanics, Frank E. Fish, Paolo Domenici

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Comparative Analysis Of The Flexural Stiffness Of Pinniped Vibrissae, Carly C. Ginter Summarell, Sudeep Ingole, Frank E. Fish, Christopher D. Marshall Jul 2015

Comparative Analysis Of The Flexural Stiffness Of Pinniped Vibrissae, Carly C. Ginter Summarell, Sudeep Ingole, Frank E. Fish, Christopher D. Marshall

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Kinematics Of Terrestrial Locomotion In Harbor Seals And Gray Seals: Importance Of Spinal Flexion By Amphibious Phocids, Jennifer N. Garrett, Frank E. Fish Apr 2015

Kinematics Of Terrestrial Locomotion In Harbor Seals And Gray Seals: Importance Of Spinal Flexion By Amphibious Phocids, Jennifer N. Garrett, Frank E. Fish

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Estimation Of Shape Of The Sea Lion For Hydrodynamic Analysis. Response To 'Cambered Profile Of A California Sea Lion's Body', Frank E. Fish Apr 2015

Estimation Of Shape Of The Sea Lion For Hydrodynamic Analysis. Response To 'Cambered Profile Of A California Sea Lion's Body', Frank E. Fish

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Seagrass Deterrence To Mesograzer Herbivory: Evidence From Mesocosm Experiments And Feeding Preference Trials, Latina Steele, John F. Valentine Mar 2015

Seagrass Deterrence To Mesograzer Herbivory: Evidence From Mesocosm Experiments And Feeding Preference Trials, Latina Steele, John F. Valentine

Biology Faculty Publications

Two laboratory experiments documented the effects of mesograzers (i.e. the gastropod Crepidula ustulatulina and the isopod Paracerceis caudata) on phenolic acid and condensed tannin production in 2 regionally abundant seagrasses—Thalassia testudinum (turtlegrass) and Halodule wrightii (shoalgrass). Subsequent paired choice experiments tested the hypothesis that phenolic acids and condensed tannins produced by these seagrasses deter mesograzer feeding. At the scale of the shoot, grazing by gastropods and isopods led to ~40 to 50% decreases in concentrations of some phenolic acids and ~20% decreases in condensed tannins in turtlegrass leaves. At a more refined spatial scale, concentrations of 2 of these compounds …


Long-Term Impacts Of Disturbance On Nitrogen-Cycling Bacteria In A New England Salt Marsh, Anne E. Bernhard, Courtney Dwyer, Adrian Idrizi, Geoffrey Bender, Rachel Zwick Feb 2015

Long-Term Impacts Of Disturbance On Nitrogen-Cycling Bacteria In A New England Salt Marsh, Anne E. Bernhard, Courtney Dwyer, Adrian Idrizi, Geoffrey Bender, Rachel Zwick

Biology Faculty Publications

Recent studies on the impacts of disturbance on microbial communities indicate communities show differential responses to disturbance, yet our understanding of how different microbial communities may respond to and recover from disturbance is still rudimentary. We investigated impacts of tidal restriction followed by tidal restoration on abundance and diversity of denitrifying bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in New England salt marshes by analyzing nirS and bacterial and archaeal amoA genes, respectively. TRFLP analysis of nirS and betaproteobacterial amoA genes revealed significant differences between restored and undisturbed marshes, with the greatest differences detected in …


Exercise At Depth Alters Bradycardia And Incidence Of Cardiac Anomalies In Deep-Diving Marine Mammals, T. M. Williams, L. A. Fuiman, T. Kendall, P. Berry, B. Richter, S. R. Noren, Nicole Thometz, M. J. Shattock, E. Farrell, A. M. Stamper, R. W. Davis Jan 2015

Exercise At Depth Alters Bradycardia And Incidence Of Cardiac Anomalies In Deep-Diving Marine Mammals, T. M. Williams, L. A. Fuiman, T. Kendall, P. Berry, B. Richter, S. R. Noren, Nicole Thometz, M. J. Shattock, E. Farrell, A. M. Stamper, R. W. Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

Unlike their terrestrial ancestors, marine mammals routinely confront extreme physiological and physical challenges while breath-holding and pursuing prey at depth. To determine how cetaceans and pinnipeds accomplish deep-sea chases, we deployed animal-borne instruments that recorded high-resolution electrocardiograms, behaviour and flipper accelerations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) diving from the surface to 4200 m. Here we report that both exercise and depth alter the bradycardia associated with the dive response, with the greatest impacts at depths inducing lung collapse. Unexpectedly, cardiac arrhythmias occurred in 473% of deep, aerobic dives, which we attribute to the interplay between …


The Mismanagement Of Limulus Polyphemus In Long Island Sound, U.S.A.: What Are The Characteristics Of A Population In Decline?, Mark Beekey, Jennifer Mattei Jan 2015

The Mismanagement Of Limulus Polyphemus In Long Island Sound, U.S.A.: What Are The Characteristics Of A Population In Decline?, Mark Beekey, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

Over the past 15 years, horseshoe crabs in Connecticut have gone from being considered a nuisance species to a species of Greatest Conservation Need in 2015. This has happened through first, its discovery as an economically important species, second through research of its ecological role in coastal estuaries, and third, through education of the public concerning its role in the environment and their own health. To manage horseshoe crab populations successfully requires long term monitoring, research and education. The use of annual or biannual trawl data trends to assess the success of management decisions is limited due to the high …


Horseshoe Crab Research In Urban Estuaries: Challenges And Opportunities, Jennifer Mattei, Mark L. Botton, Mark Beekey, Christina P. ColóN Jan 2015

Horseshoe Crab Research In Urban Estuaries: Challenges And Opportunities, Jennifer Mattei, Mark L. Botton, Mark Beekey, Christina P. ColóN

Biology Faculty Publications

Horseshoe crabs rely on estuaries for food resources, places to spawn and for larvae and juveniles to develop and grow. Many of these estuaries are becoming increasingly urbanized and dominated by human activity. An urban estuary is characterized by armored shorelines, high nutrient loads, large fluctuations in algal and bacteria populations, increased levels of pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides, and seasonally low oxygen levels and pH. While urban estuaries are challenging for horseshoe crab survival and to researchers trying to study them, there are also opportunities for involving the public in research and increasing public awareness of the importance …


Flow Through The Nasal Cavity Of The Spiny Dogfish, Squalus Acanthias, L. L. Timm-Davis, Frank E. Fish Jan 2015

Flow Through The Nasal Cavity Of The Spiny Dogfish, Squalus Acanthias, L. L. Timm-Davis, Frank E. Fish

Biology Faculty Publications

The nasal cavity of spiny dogfish is a blind capsule with no internal connection to the oral cavity. Water is envisioned to flow through the cavity in a smooth, continuous flow pattern; however, this assumption is based on previous descriptions of the morphology of the olfactory cavity. No experimentation on the flow through the internal nasal cavity has been reported. Morphology of the head of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) does not suggest a close external connection between the oral and nasal systems. However, dye visualization showed that there was flow through the nasal apparatus and from the excurrent nostril …