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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Goby Climbing Selection, Dominica Versus Hawaii, Sandy M. Kawano, William C. Bridges, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob Sep 2013

Goby Climbing Selection, Dominica Versus Hawaii, Sandy M. Kawano, William C. Bridges, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob

All Data Sets

Data set containing morphology data that was used for the selection analyses in the article "Differences in locomotor behavior correspond to different patterns of morphological selection in two species of waterfall-climbing gobiid fishes" Evolutionary Ecology, September 2013, Volume 27, Issue 5, pp 949-969.


Mechanics, Diversity, And Ecology Of Gecko Adhesion, Travis Jay Hagey Aug 2013

Mechanics, Diversity, And Ecology Of Gecko Adhesion, Travis Jay Hagey

Biology

The question of why animals are shaped the way they are has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. Studies of ecological morphology (the relationship between an organism’s form, function, and environment) often bridge multiple disciplines including biomechanics, ecology, phylogenetics, and comparative methods. In this dissertation, I gathered data and tested hypotheses that considered the link between morphology and performance and the relationship between performance and ecology. I focused my research on the adhesive abilities of geckos. Geckos are an understudied, diverse group of lizards, well known for their adhesive toe pads. I propose that geckos are an excellent group to …


Variation In Salamander Tail Regeneration Is Associated With Genetic Factors That Determine Tail Morphology, Gareth J. Voss, D. Kevin Kump, John A. Walker, S. Randal Voss Jul 2013

Variation In Salamander Tail Regeneration Is Associated With Genetic Factors That Determine Tail Morphology, Gareth J. Voss, D. Kevin Kump, John A. Walker, S. Randal Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

Very little is known about the factors that cause variation in regenerative potential within and between species. Here, we used a genetic approach to identify heritable genetic factors that explain variation in tail regenerative outgrowth. A hybrid ambystomatid salamander (Ambystoma mexicanum x A. andersoni) was crossed to an A. mexicanum and 217 offspring were induced to undergo metamorphosis and attain terrestrial adult morphology using thyroid hormone. Following metamorphosis, each salamander’s tail tip was amputated and allowed to regenerate, and then amputated a second time and allowed to regenerate. Also, DNA was isolated from all individuals and genotypes were …


Differential Jumping Performance In Newly Metamorphosed Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, Acris Blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), From Fish- And Invertebrate-Dominated Ponds, Taylor L. Hall, Daniel Saenz, Matthew Kwiatkowski Jan 2013

Differential Jumping Performance In Newly Metamorphosed Blanchard's Cricket Frogs, Acris Blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), From Fish- And Invertebrate-Dominated Ponds, Taylor L. Hall, Daniel Saenz, Matthew Kwiatkowski

Faculty Publications

Organisms that adopt phenotypically plastic anti-predator strategies during larval stages may incur fitness costs later in development. These costs are typically difficult to define in many species. The difficulty of identifying ecological trade-offs may result from experimental comparisons that do not adequately mirror naturally occurring predator-prey relatioships. To examine this, we captured 61 newly metamorphosed Acris blanchardi from ponds dominated either by fish or invertebrate predators. These predators are known to induce alternate phenotypic anti-predator responses at the larval stage. We use jumping performance as a measure of post-metamorphic fitness, and compared the morphological traits and jumping ability of frogs …


Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner Jan 2013

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …