Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.™
10 Institutions 20 Full-Text Articles 27 Authors 5,457 Downloads
Recent Articles in Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology
Euryhalinity In An Evolutionary Context, Eric T. Schultz, Stephen D. McCormick 
University of Connecticut
Euryhalinity In An Evolutionary Context, Eric T. Schultz, Stephen D. Mccormick
EEB Articles
This chapter focuses on the evolutionary importance and taxonomic distribution of euryhalinity. Euryhalinity refers to broad halotolerance and broad halohabitat distribution. Salinity exposure experiments have demonstrated that species vary tenfold in their range of tolerable salinity levels, primarily because of differences in upper limits. Halotolerance breadth varies with the species’ evolutionary history, as represented by its ordinal classification, and with the species’ halohabitat. Freshwater and seawater species tolerate brackish water; their empirically-determined fundamental haloniche is broader than their realized haloniche, as revealed by the halohabitats they occupy. With respect to halohabitat distribution, a minority of species (<10%) are euryhaline. Habitat-euryhalinity is prevalent among basal actinopterygian fishes, is largely absent from orders arising from intermediate nodes, and reappears in the most derived taxa. There is pronounced family-level variability in the tendency to be halohabitat-euryhaline, which may have arisen during a burst of diversification following the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction. Low prevalence notwithstanding, euryhaline species are potent sources of evolutionary diversity. Euryhalinity is regarded as a key innovation trait whose evolution enables exploitation of new adaptive zone, triggering cladogenesis. We review phylogenetically-informed studies that demonstrate freshwater species diversifying from euryhaline ancestors through processes such as landlocking. These studies indicate that some euryhaline taxa are particularly susceptible to changes in halohabitat and subsequent diversification, and some geographic regions have been hotspots for transitions to freshwater. Comparative studies on mechanisms among multiple taxa and at multiple levels of biological integration are needed to clarify evolutionary pathways to, and from, euryhalinity.
The Sub-Lethal Effects Of Repeated Cold Exposure In Insects, Katie Elizabeth Marshall 
Western University
The Sub-Lethal Effects Of Repeated Cold Exposure In Insects, Katie Elizabeth Marshall
University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
While insect cold tolerance has been well studied, the vast majority of work has focused on the effects of a single cold exposure. However, many abiotic environmental stresses, including temperature, fluctuate within an organism's lifespan. In this thesis I address two major questions. First, does frequency of cold exposure impose additional stress on insects? Second, how does this stress translate to performance and fitness? I first summarize the literature on the effects of repeated cold exposure in insects, critically examining experimental designs. I then address my questions experimentally using four insect species with contrasting life histories and responses to ...
The Cost Of Ethanol Synthesis During Recovery From Exhaustive Exercise In Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), Simon A. Bradford Western University
The Cost Of Ethanol Synthesis During Recovery From Exhaustive Exercise In Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), Simon A. Bradford
University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) reduce white muscle glycogen (~14 µmol glucosyl units/g wet tissue) in response to exhaustive exercise. This reduction results in a small increase in muscle lactate (~9 µmol/g wet tissue) and a larger increase in muscle ethanol (~30 µmol/g wet tissue). Tissue-specific and whole-body measures of glycogen, ethanol and lactate confirm that ethanol is the major “anaerobic” glycolytic end-product. Additionally, while peak muscle and blood ethanol levels occur immediately post-exercise, the excretion of ethanol to the environment is delayed, occurring over a 30-minute period beginning ~105 minutes following exercise. As the total amount of ...
Cold Tolerance Of Each Life Stage Of The Sub-Alpine Willow Leaf Beetle, Chrysomela Aeneicollis, Evelyn C. Boychuk Western University
Cold Tolerance Of Each Life Stage Of The Sub-Alpine Willow Leaf Beetle, Chrysomela Aeneicollis, Evelyn C. Boychuk
University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
To understand the potential effects of climate change on the sub-alpine willow leaf beetle, the cold tolerance strategy and mechanisms involved in cold tolerance were investigated for all life stages. Microhabitat choice and microclimate temperatures within each microhabitat were related to median lethal temperature for each life stage. Summer active and quiescent adults are freeze tolerant, eggs and pupae are freeze avoidant and all larval stages are chill susceptible. Quiescent adults accumulated the highest concentration of glycerol (~24 mM) and haemolymph osmolality (875 mOsm). Haemolymph from pupae had angular crystals suggestive of antifreeze agent activity, but this was absent in ...
Ion Homeostasis And Variation In Low Temperature Performance In The Fall And Spring Field Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), Litza E. Coello Alvarado Western University
Ion Homeostasis And Variation In Low Temperature Performance In The Fall And Spring Field Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), Litza E. Coello Alvarado
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Low temperature performance affects the geographical distribution of insects. The lower critical temperature limits of chill-susceptible insects are likely determined by failure of ion and water balance at low temperature. I used phenotypic plasticity in the cold tolerance of Gryllus pennsylvanicus, and the naturally higher cold tolerance of Gryllus veletis to test the hypothesis that variation in low temperature performance is accompanied by variation in ion and water homeostasis at low temperatures. Low temperature acclimation and cold adaptation enhanced performance at low temperatures. Groups with higher cold tolerance had an enhanced ability to prevent or mitigate the migration of hemolymph ...
East Asian Plants In Eastern Us Forests: Are Invaders Pre-Adapted For More Efficient Resource Use? (Talk), Mason Heberling, Jason Fridley 
Syracuse University
East Asian Plants In Eastern Us Forests: Are Invaders Pre-Adapted For More Efficient Resource Use? (Talk), Mason Heberling, Jason Fridley
Mason Heberling
The globalization of human activities has resulted in the widespread movement of plants around the world. Paradoxically, many of these exotic species are out-competing native plants, despite the presumption that native species have locally adapted to their environments. Further, global invasion patterns are frequently asymmetric, with some regions more likely to produce invasive species and others more likely to be invaded. This phenomenon is particularly prominent in eastern North American (ENA) forests, where an unexpected, substantial fraction of woody invaders originated from East Asia (EAS). Although both regions lie primarily in the north temperate mesic forest biome with comparable niches ...
Environmental Physiology Of Flight In Migratory Birds, Alexander R. Gerson Western University
Environmental Physiology Of Flight In Migratory Birds, Alexander R. Gerson
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Migratory birds complete amazing journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds. Each journey comprises a series of flights that last hours to days, followed by stopovers where fuel stores are replenished. Despite the long flights undertaken by migratory birds, where respiratory water losses are high for extended periods of time, birds are not dehydrated after flight. My studies demonstrate that birds maintain hydration by modulating rates of endogenous water production in response to rates of water loss. In resting, water restricted house sparrows (Passer domesticus) I used quantitative magnetic resonance body composition analysis (QMR) and hygrometry to demonstrate that stressed ...
Rapid Inversion: Running Animals And Robots Swing Like A Pendulum Under Ledges, Jean-Michel Mongeau, Brian McRae, Ardian Jusufi, Paul Birkmeyer, Aaron M. Hoover, Ronald Fearing, Robert J. Full 
Olin College of Engineering
Rapid Inversion: Running Animals And Robots Swing Like A Pendulum Under Ledges, Jean-Michel Mongeau, Brian Mcrae, Ardian Jusufi, Paul Birkmeyer, Aaron M. Hoover, Ronald Fearing, Robert J. Full
2012
Escaping from predators often demands that animals rapidly negotiate complex environments. The smallest animals attain relatively fast speeds with high frequency leg cycling, wing flapping or body undulations, but absolute speeds are slow compared to larger animals. Instead, small animals benefit from the advantages of enhanced maneuverability in part due to scaling. Here, we report a novel behavior in small, legged runners that may facilitate their escape by disappearance from predators. We video recorded cockroaches and geckos rapidly running up an incline toward a ledge, digitized their motion and created a simple model to generalize the behavior. Both species ran ...
Popular Institutions
Popular Authors
Evan Sebastian
Liberty University
Alexander Gerson
Western University
Caroline Williams
Western University
Joseph Johnson
University of Kentucky
Brandy Kalbach
California Polytechnic State University
Frank Paladino
Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
Shelly Gupta
California Polytechnic State University
Joseph Chadwick
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Aaron Hoover
Olin College of Engineering
Evelyn Boychuk
Western University
Based on downloads this month
Popular Articles
The Complexity And Origins Of The Human Eye: A Brief Study On The Anatomy, Physiology, And Origin Of The Eye, Evan Sebastian
Environmental Physiology Of Flight In Migratory Birds, Alexander Gerson
Overwintering Energetics Of Lepidoptera: The Effects Of Winter Warming And Thermal Variability., Caroline Williams
Foraging And Roosting Behaviors Of Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus Rafinesquii) At The Northern Edge Of The Species Range, Joseph Johnson
Rapid Inversion: Running Animals And Robots Swing Like A Pendulum Under Ledges, Aaron Hoover
Temperature Effects On Growth And Stress Physiology Of Brook Trout: Implications For Climate Change Impacts On An Iconic Cold-Water Fish, Joseph Chadwick
The Relationship Between 11-Ketotestosterone, Cortisol, And Testosterone And Condition Index For Poecilia Reticulata, Brandy Kalbach, Shelly Gupta
Dynamics Of Fat And Lean Mass In Refuelling Migrant Passerines Measured Using Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, Lisa Kennedy
Cold Tolerance Of Each Life Stage Of The Sub-Alpine Willow Leaf Beetle, Chrysomela Aeneicollis, Evelyn Boychuk
The Evolution Of Platelet Responses To Collagen Under Conditions Of Hemodynamic Flow, Alec Schmaier
Based on downloads this month