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Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

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Articles 1 - 28 of 28

Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology

Multi-Omics Reveals Largely Distinct Transcript- And Protein-Level Responses To The Environment In An Intertidal Mussel, Lani U. Gleason, Florian J. Fekete, Richelle L. Tanner, W. Wesley Dowd Nov 2023

Multi-Omics Reveals Largely Distinct Transcript- And Protein-Level Responses To The Environment In An Intertidal Mussel, Lani U. Gleason, Florian J. Fekete, Richelle L. Tanner, W. Wesley Dowd

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Organismal responses to stressful environments are influenced by numerous transcript- and protein-level mechanisms, and the relationships between expression changes at these levels are not always straightforward. Here, we used paired transcriptomic and proteomic datasets from two previous studies from gill of the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, to explore how simultaneous transcript and protein abundance patterns may diverge under different environmental scenarios. Field-acclimatized mussels were sampled from two disparate intertidal sites; individuals from one site were subjected to three further treatments (common garden, low-intertidal or high-intertidal outplant) that vary in temperature and feeding time. Assessing 1519 genes shared between …


Epidermal Threads Reveal The Origin Of Hagfish Slime, Yu Zeng, David C. Plachetzki, Kristen Nieders, Hannah Campbell, Marissa Cartee, M. Sabrina Pankey, Kennedy Guillen, Douglas Fudge Mar 2023

Epidermal Threads Reveal The Origin Of Hagfish Slime, Yu Zeng, David C. Plachetzki, Kristen Nieders, Hannah Campbell, Marissa Cartee, M. Sabrina Pankey, Kennedy Guillen, Douglas Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

When attacked, hagfishes produce a soft, fibrous defensive slime within a fraction of a second by ejecting mucus and threads into seawater. The rapid setup and remarkable expansion of the slime make it a highly effective and unique form of defense. How this biomaterial evolved is unknown, although circumstantial evidence points to the epidermis as the origin of the thread- and mucus-producing cells in the slime glands. Here, we describe large intracellular threads within a putatively homologous cell type from hagfish epidermis. These epidermal threads averaged ~2 mm in length and ~0.5 μm in diameter. The entire hagfish body is …


Environment-Driven Shifts In Inter-Individual Variation And Phenotypic Integration Within Subnetworks Of The Mussel Transcriptome And Proteome, Richelle L. Tanner, Lani U. Gleason, W. Wesley Dowd Apr 2022

Environment-Driven Shifts In Inter-Individual Variation And Phenotypic Integration Within Subnetworks Of The Mussel Transcriptome And Proteome, Richelle L. Tanner, Lani U. Gleason, W. Wesley Dowd

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The environment can alter the magnitude of phenotypic variation among individuals, potentially influencing evolutionary trajectories. However, environmental influences on variation are complex and remain understudied. Populations in heterogeneous environments might exhibit more variation, the amount of variation could differ between benign and stressful conditions, and/or variation might manifest in different ways among stages of the gene-to-protein expression cascade or among physiological functions. Here, we explore these three issues by quantifying patterns of inter-individual variation in both transcript and protein expression levels among California mussels, Mytilus californianus Conrad. Mussels were exposed to five ecologically relevant treatments that varied in the mean …


Who Are We? Highlighting Nuances In Asian American Experiences In Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, K. H. Nguyen, A. K. Akiona, C. C. Chang, V. B. Chaudhary, S. J. Cheng, S. M. Johnson, S. S. Kahanamoku, A. Lee, E. E. Deleon Sanchez, L. M. Segui, Richelle L. Tanner Nov 2021

Who Are We? Highlighting Nuances In Asian American Experiences In Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, K. H. Nguyen, A. K. Akiona, C. C. Chang, V. B. Chaudhary, S. J. Cheng, S. M. Johnson, S. S. Kahanamoku, A. Lee, E. E. Deleon Sanchez, L. M. Segui, Richelle L. Tanner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

"As ecologists and evolutionary biologists, it is important to recognize that issues surrounding AAPI do not exist in a vacuum and that these issues affect some of our students and colleagues in and outside of the classroom and lab. Recently, anti-Asian racism has been brought to the forefront of US society. Though media attention has primarily focused on how COVID-19 fears motivated both violent and nonviolent racist incidents against East Asians in 2020 (e.g., Chinese and Taiwanese Americans) (Tessler et al. 2020), attacks on other AAPI groups, such as South and Southeast Asians (e.g., Filipino, Pakistani, and Vietnamese Americans) (Truong …


Kelp Morphology And Herbivory Are Maintained Across Latitude Despite Geographic Shift In Kelp-Wounding Herbivores, Nicholas P. Burnett, Eric J. Armstrong, Rosemary Romero, Charlotte C. Runzel, Richelle L. Tanner Sep 2021

Kelp Morphology And Herbivory Are Maintained Across Latitude Despite Geographic Shift In Kelp-Wounding Herbivores, Nicholas P. Burnett, Eric J. Armstrong, Rosemary Romero, Charlotte C. Runzel, Richelle L. Tanner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Herbivores can drastically alter the morphology of macroalgae by directly consuming tissue and by inflicting structural wounds. Wounds can result in large amounts of tissue breaking away from macroalgae, amplifying the damage initially caused by herbivores. Herbivores that commonly wound macroalgae often occur over only a portion of a macroalga’s lifespan or geographic range. However, we know little about the influence of these periodic or regional occurrences of herbivores on the large-scale seasonal and geographical patterns of macroalgal morphology. We used the intertidal kelp Egregia menziesii to investigate how the kelp’s morphology and the prevalence of two prominent kelp-wounding herbivores …


Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine, Aimee Bonanno, Megan Ennes, Jennifer A. Hoey, Emily Moberg, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Nette Pletcher, Richelle L. Tanner Jul 2021

Empowering Hope-Based Climate Change Communication Techniques For The Gulf Of Maine, Aimee Bonanno, Megan Ennes, Jennifer A. Hoey, Emily Moberg, Sarah-Mae Nelson, Nette Pletcher, Richelle L. Tanner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming marine areas on the planet: The industries and creatures that call it home face an unprecedented shift in their interactions and existence. Scientists, policy makers, and practitioners often want to communicate to the public about the seriousness of the situation to encourage mitigation and adaptation. Many standard communication strategies that rely on fear and scientific authority alone—rather than comprehensive explanations that include solutions—can leave audiences feeling overwhelmed and disengaged, instead of hopeful and motivated to act. In this practice bridge, we showcase a social science research-based climate change communication “tool-kit” …


The Role Of Dislodgement In The Territorial Ecology Of The Owl Limpet, Lottia Gigantea, Ryan T. Kabala, Natalie Swinford, Maria J. Mason, William G. Wright Feb 2020

The Role Of Dislodgement In The Territorial Ecology Of The Owl Limpet, Lottia Gigantea, Ryan T. Kabala, Natalie Swinford, Maria J. Mason, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Ascertaining the risks and benefits of different behaviors is a central goal of research on territoriality. Although most territorial behavior is ritualized, with concomitant reduced risks for both residents and intruders, this ritualization is generally found to be underpinned by rare, highly consequential, interactions. The agonistic behavior of the intertidal owl limpet, Lottia gigantea, involves defense of a feeding territory, and includes a relatively explosive thrusting response by territory holders against intruding conspecifics. We here ask whether this thrusting behavior is capable of entirely dislodging intruders from their rocky wave-swept substratum, thereby ridding the resident of future challenges by …


High Concentrations Of Trimethylamines In Slime Glands Inhibit Skein Unraveling In Pacific Hagfish, Gaurav Jain, Marie Starksen, Kashika Singh, Christopher Hoang, Paul Yancey, Charlene Mccord, Douglas S. Fudge Nov 2019

High Concentrations Of Trimethylamines In Slime Glands Inhibit Skein Unraveling In Pacific Hagfish, Gaurav Jain, Marie Starksen, Kashika Singh, Christopher Hoang, Paul Yancey, Charlene Mccord, Douglas S. Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Hagfish defend themselves from fish predators by producing large volumes of gill-clogging slime when they are attacked. The slime consists of seawater and two major components that are ejected from the slime glands: mucus and threads. The threads are produced within specialized cells and packaged into intricately coiled bundles called skeins. Skeins are kept from unraveling via a protein adhesive that dissolves when the skeins are ejected from the slime glands. Previous work revealed that hagfish slime glands have high concentrations of methylamines including trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), trimethylglycine (betaine) and dimethylglycine (DMG); however, the function of these compounds in the …


Plasticity Of Foot Muscle And Cardiac Thermal Limits In The Limpet Lottia Limatula From Locations With Differing Temperatures, Terrance Wang, Richelle L. Tanner, Eric J. Armstrong, David R. Lindberg, Jonathon H. Stillman Sep 2019

Plasticity Of Foot Muscle And Cardiac Thermal Limits In The Limpet Lottia Limatula From Locations With Differing Temperatures, Terrance Wang, Richelle L. Tanner, Eric J. Armstrong, David R. Lindberg, Jonathon H. Stillman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Species distributions are shifting in response to increased habitat temperatures as a result of ongoing climate change. Understanding variation in physiological plasticity among species and populations is important for predicting these distribution shifts. Interspecific variation in intertidal ectotherms’ short-term thermal plasticity has been well established. However, intraspecific variation among populations from differing thermal habitats remains a question pertinent to understanding the effects of climate change on species’ ranges. In this study, we explored upper thermal tolerance limits and plasticity of those limits using a foot muscle metric and 2 cardiac metrics (Arrhenius breakpoint temperature, ABT, and flatline temperature, FLT) in …


High Heat Tolerance Is Negatively Correlated With Upper Thermal Tolerance Plasticity In North Eastern Pacific Nudibranch Mollusks, Eric J. Armstrong, Richelle L. Tanner, Jonathon H. Stillman Jun 2019

High Heat Tolerance Is Negatively Correlated With Upper Thermal Tolerance Plasticity In North Eastern Pacific Nudibranch Mollusks, Eric J. Armstrong, Richelle L. Tanner, Jonathon H. Stillman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Rapid ocean warming may alter habitat suitability and population fitness for marine ectotherms. Susceptibility to thermal perturbations will depend in part on plasticity of a species’ upper thermal limits of performance (CTmax). However, we currently lack data regarding CTmax plasticity for several major marine taxa, including nudibranch mollusks, thus limiting predictive responses to habitat warming for these species. In order to determine relative sensitivity to future warming, we investigated heat tolerance limits (CTmax), heat tolerance plasticity (acclimation response ratio), thermal safety margins, temperature sensitivity of metabolism, and metabolic cost of heat shock in nine species …


What Can Computational Modeling Tell Us About The Diversity Of Odor-Capture Structures In The Pancrustacea?, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Yanyan He, Shilpa Khatri Sep 2018

What Can Computational Modeling Tell Us About The Diversity Of Odor-Capture Structures In The Pancrustacea?, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Yanyan He, Shilpa Khatri

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

A major transition in the history of the Pancrustacea was the invasion of several lineages of these animals onto land. We investigated the functional performance of odor-capture organs, antennae with olfactory sensilla arrays, through the use of a computational model of advection and diffusion of odorants to olfactory sensilla while varying three parameters thought to be important to odor capture (Reynolds number, gap-width-to-sensillum-diameter ratio, and angle of the sensilla array with respect to oncoming flow). We also performed a sensitivity analysis on these parameters using uncertainty quantification to analyze their relative contributions to odor-capture performance. The results of this analysis …


Cellular Mechanisms Of Slime Gland Refilling In Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus Stoutii), Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge Aug 2018

Cellular Mechanisms Of Slime Gland Refilling In Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus Stoutii), Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Hagfishes use their defensive slime to ward off gill-breathing predators. Slime gland refilling is a surprisingly slow process, and previous research has shown that the composition of the slime exudate changes significantly during refilling, which likely has consequences for the functionality of the slime. This study set out to expand our understanding of slime gland refilling by examining the cellular processes involved in refilling of the glands, as well as determining where in the gland the main slime cells – the gland thread cells and gland mucous cells – arise. Slime glands were electro-stimulated to exhaust their slime stores, left …


Emptying And Refilling Of Slime Glands In Atlantic (Myxine Glutinosa) And Pacific (Eptatretus Stoutii) Hagfishes, Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge Apr 2018

Emptying And Refilling Of Slime Glands In Atlantic (Myxine Glutinosa) And Pacific (Eptatretus Stoutii) Hagfishes, Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Hagfishes are known for their unique defensive slime, which they use toward off gill-breathing predators. Although much is known about the slime cells (gland thread cells and gland mucous cells), little is known about how long slime gland refilling takes, or how slime composition changes with refilling or repeated stimulation of the same gland. Slime glands can be individually electrostimulated to release slime, and this technique was used to measure slime gland refilling times for Atlantic and Pacific hagfish. The amount of exudate produced, the composition of the exudate and the morphometrics of slime cells were analyzed during refilling, and …


Skeletal Stiffening In An Amphibious Fish Out Of Water Is A Response To Increased Body Weight, Andy J. Turko, Dietmar KüLtz, Douglas S. Fudge, Roger P. Croll, Frank M. Smith, Matthew R. Stoyek, Patricia A. Wright Jan 2017

Skeletal Stiffening In An Amphibious Fish Out Of Water Is A Response To Increased Body Weight, Andy J. Turko, Dietmar KüLtz, Douglas S. Fudge, Roger P. Croll, Frank M. Smith, Matthew R. Stoyek, Patricia A. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Terrestrial animals must support their bodies against gravity, while aquatic animals are effectively weightless because of buoyant support from water. Given this evolutionary history of minimal gravitational loading of fishes in water, it has been hypothesized that weight-responsive musculoskeletal systems evolved during the tetrapod invasion of land and are thus absent in fishes. Amphibious fishes, however, experience increased effective weight when out of water – are these fishes responsive to gravitational loading? Contrary to the tetrapod-origin hypothesis, we found that terrestrial acclimation reversibly increased gill arch stiffness (∼60% increase) in the amphibious fish Kryptolebias marmoratus when loaded normally by gravity, …


A Tale Of Two Antennules: The Performance Of Crab Odor-Capture Organs In Air And Water, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller, Shilpa Khatri Dec 2016

A Tale Of Two Antennules: The Performance Of Crab Odor-Capture Organs In Air And Water, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller, Shilpa Khatri

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Odour capture is an important part of olfaction, where dissolved chemical cues (odours) are brought into contact with chemosensory structures. Antennule flicking by marine crabs is an example of discrete odour capture (sniffing) where an array of chemosensory hairs is waved through the water to create a flow–no flow pattern based on a narrow range of speeds, diameters of and spacings between hairs. Changing the speed of movement and spacing of hairs at this scale to manipulate flow represents a complicated fluid dynamics problem. In this study, we use numerical simulation of the advection and diffusion of a chemical gradient …


Covering Ground: A Look At Movement Patterns And Random Walk Behavior In Aquilonastra Sea Stars, Amanda C. Lohmann, Dennis Evangelista, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Christopher L. Mah, Tyson L. Hedrick Oct 2016

Covering Ground: A Look At Movement Patterns And Random Walk Behavior In Aquilonastra Sea Stars, Amanda C. Lohmann, Dennis Evangelista, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Christopher L. Mah, Tyson L. Hedrick

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The paths animals take while moving through their environments affect their likelihood of encountering food and other resources; thus, models of foraging behavior abound. To collect movement data appropriate for comparison with these models, we used time-lapse photography to track movements of a small, hardy, and easy-to-obtain organism, Aquilonastra anomala sea stars. We recorded the sea stars in a tank over many hours, with and without a food cue. With food present, they covered less distance, as predicted by theory; this strategy would allow them to remain near food. We then compared the paths of the sea stars to three …


The Hagfish Gland Thread Cell: A Fiber-Producing Cell Involved In Predator Defense, Douglas S. Fudge, Sarah Schorno May 2016

The Hagfish Gland Thread Cell: A Fiber-Producing Cell Involved In Predator Defense, Douglas S. Fudge, Sarah Schorno

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Fibers are ubiquitous in biology, and include tensile materials produced by specialized glands (such as silks), extracellular fibrils that reinforce exoskeletons and connective tissues (such as chitin and collagen), as well as intracellular filaments that make up the metazoan cytoskeleton (such as F-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments). Hagfish gland thread cells are unique in that they produce a high aspect ratio fiber from cytoskeletal building blocks within the confines of their cytoplasm. These threads are elaborately coiled into structures that readily unravel when they are ejected into seawater from the slime glands. In this review we summarize what is currently …


Temporal Variation In Optical Properties Of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) In Southern California Coastal Waters With Nearshore Kelp And Seagrass, Catherine D. Clark, Warren J. De Bruyn, Paige Aiona Oct 2015

Temporal Variation In Optical Properties Of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) In Southern California Coastal Waters With Nearshore Kelp And Seagrass, Catherine D. Clark, Warren J. De Bruyn, Paige Aiona

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were measured in surf zone waters in diurnal field studies at a Southern California beach with nearshore kelp and seagrass beds and intertidal plant wrack. Absorption coefficients (aCDOM(300 nm)) ranged from 0.35 m21 to 3.7 m21 with short-term variability<1 h, increases at ebb and flood tides and higher values (6 m21) during an offshore storm event. Spectral slopes (S) ranged from 0.0028 nm21 to 0.017 nm21, with higher values after the storm; S was generally inversely correlated with aCDOM(300 nm). 3-D excitation–emission matrix spectra (EEMs) for samples with lower S values had humic-type peaks associated with terrestrial material (A, C), marine microbial material (M) and protein peaks, characteristic of freshly produced organic material. Samples with high S values had no or reduced protein peaks, consistent with aged material. Fluorescent indexes (f450/f500 >2.5, BIX>1.1) were consistent with microbial aquatic sources. Leachates of senescent kelp and seagrass had protein and humic-type EEM peaks. After solar simulator irradiation (4 h), protein peaks rapidly photochemically degraded, humic-type peak C increased in intensity and peak M disappeared. Optical characteristics of kelp leachates were most similar to field samples, …


Flexibility Of Crab Chemosensory Hairs Enables Flicking Antennules To Sniff, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Matthew A. Reidenbach, M. A. R. Koehl Oct 2015

Flexibility Of Crab Chemosensory Hairs Enables Flicking Antennules To Sniff, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Matthew A. Reidenbach, M. A. R. Koehl

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The first step in smelling is capture of odorant molecules from the surrounding fluid. We used lateral flagella of olfactory antennules of crabs Callinectes sapidus to study the physical process of odor capture by antennae bearing dense tufts of hair-like chemosensory sensilla (aesthetascs). Fluid flow around and through aesthetasc arrays on dynamically scaled models of lateral flagella of C. sapidus was measured by particle image velocimetry to determine how antennules sample the surrounding water when they flick. Models enabled separate evaluation of the effects of flicking speed, aesthetasc spacing, and antennule orientation. We found that crab antennules, like those of …


Large Amplitude, Short Wave Peristalsis And Its Implications For Transport, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller Aug 2015

Large Amplitude, Short Wave Peristalsis And Its Implications For Transport, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Valveless, tubular pumps are widespread in the animal kingdom, but the mechanism by which these pumps generate fluid flow is often in dispute. Where the pumping mechanism of many organs was once described as peristalsis, other mechanisms, such as dynamic suction pumping, have been suggested as possible alternative mechanisms. Peristalsis is often evaluated using criteria established in a technical definition for mechanical pumps, but this definition is based on a small-amplitude, long-wave approximation which biological pumps often violate. In this study, we use a direct numerical simulation of large-amplitude, short-wave peristalsis to investigate the relationships between fluid flow, compression frequency, …


The Role Of The Pericardium In The Valveless, Tubular Heart Of The Tunicate, Ciona Savignyi, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller Jul 2015

The Role Of The Pericardium In The Valveless, Tubular Heart Of The Tunicate, Ciona Savignyi, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Laura A. Miller

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Tunicates, small invertebrates within the phylum Chordata, possess a robust tubular heart which pumps blood through their open circulatory systems without the use of valves. This heart consists of two major components: the tubular myocardium, a flexible layer of myocardial cells that actively contracts to drive fluid down the length of the tube; and the pericardium, a stiff, outer layer of cells that surrounds the myocardium and creates a fluid-filled space between the myocardium and the pericardium. We investigated the role of the pericardium through in vivo manipulations on tunicate hearts and computational simulations of the myocardium and pericardium using …


Shifts In Attack Behavior Of An Important Kelp Forest Predator Within Marine Reserves, J. S. Berriman, M. C. Kay, D. C. Reed, A. Rassweiler, D. A. Goldstein, William G. Wright Mar 2015

Shifts In Attack Behavior Of An Important Kelp Forest Predator Within Marine Reserves, J. S. Berriman, M. C. Kay, D. C. Reed, A. Rassweiler, D. A. Goldstein, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Marine reserves have become increasingly valuable tools with which to manage ecosystems. These reserves consistently restore populations of top predators, often reducing availability of their favored prey. We hypothesized that such prey reduction in reserves causes protected predators to alter their attack behavior to include less palatable prey, potentially amplifying top-down effects on community structure. To test this hypothesis, we presented the relatively unpalatable sea hare Aplysia californica to freely foraging spiny lobsters Panulirus interruptus in 4 marine no-take reserves, each paired with an adjacent fished area. We found that lobsters only attacked sea hares inside reserves, where lobster density …


Scaling Of Olfactory Antennae Of The Terrestrial Hermit Crabs Coenobita Rugosus And Coenobita Perlatus During Ontogeny, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Roxanne M. Bantay, Quang V. Nguyen Aug 2014

Scaling Of Olfactory Antennae Of The Terrestrial Hermit Crabs Coenobita Rugosus And Coenobita Perlatus During Ontogeny, Lindsay D. Waldrop, Roxanne M. Bantay, Quang V. Nguyen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Although many lineages of terrestrial crustaceans have poor olfactory capabilities, crabs in the family Coenobitidae, including the terrestrial hermit crabs in the genus Coenobita, are able to locate food and water using olfactory antennae (antennules) to capture odors from the surrounding air. Terrestrial hermit crabs begin their lives as small marine larvae and must find a suitable place to undergo metamorphosis into a juvenile form, which initiates their transition to land. Juveniles increase in size by more than an order of magnitude to reach adult size. Since odor capture is a process heavily dependent on the size and speed …


Ontogenetic Scaling Of The Olfactory Antennae And Flicking Behavior Of The Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus Oregonensis, Lindsay D. Waldrop Jun 2013

Ontogenetic Scaling Of The Olfactory Antennae And Flicking Behavior Of The Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus Oregonensis, Lindsay D. Waldrop

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Malacostracan crustaceans such as crabs flick antennae with arrays of olfactory sensilla called aesthetascs through the water to sense odors. Flicking by crabs consists of a quick downstroke, in which aesthetascs are deflected laterally (splayed), and a slower, reversed return stroke, in which aesthetascs clump together. This motion causes water to be flushed within and then held in between aesthetascs to deliver odor molecules to olfactory receptors. Although this odor sampling method relies on a narrow range of speeds, sizes, and specific arrangements of aesthetascs, most crabs dramatically change these during ontogeny. In this study, the morphometrics of the aesthetascs, …


A Fish Out Of Water: Gill And Skin Remodeling Promotes Osmo- And Ionoregulation In The Mangrove Killifish Kryptolebias Marmoratus, Danielle M. Leblanc, Chris M. Wood, Douglas S. Fudge, Patricia A. Wright Oct 2010

A Fish Out Of Water: Gill And Skin Remodeling Promotes Osmo- And Ionoregulation In The Mangrove Killifish Kryptolebias Marmoratus, Danielle M. Leblanc, Chris M. Wood, Douglas S. Fudge, Patricia A. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The euryhaline, amphibious mangrove killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus is known to survive weeks out of water in moist environments. We tested the hypothesis that the skin is a site of osmo- and ionoregulation in K. marmoratus. We predicted that under terrestrial conditions, gill and skin remodeling would result in an enhanced role for skin and a diminished role for the gills in osmo- and ionoregulation. Fish were exposed to water—either freshwater (FW, 1‰) or hypersaline water (saltwater [SW], 45‰)—or air over a moist surface of FW or SW for 9 d and then recovered in water. When fish were emersed …


Interspecific Variation In Palatability Suggests Cospecialization Of Antipredator Defenses In Sea Hares, Kimberly K. Takagi, Nadia N. Ono, William G. Wright Jan 2010

Interspecific Variation In Palatability Suggests Cospecialization Of Antipredator Defenses In Sea Hares, Kimberly K. Takagi, Nadia N. Ono, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Prey species often deploy different kinds of antipredator defenses, which can interact with each other in ways that are not yet completely understood. Much research into these interactions has utilized gastropod mollusks, usually focusing (in part) on the protective utility of the gastropod shell. This makes the evolutionary reduction of the shell in the opisthobranch gastropods (marine slugs) particularly interesting. This loss of protective function of the shell is associated with the evolution of alternative defenses. Particularly well studied are chemical defenses, especially those using secondary metabolites derived from food resources. As a first step toward understanding interspecific variation in …


Effect Of Wave Action On Movement In The Owl Limpet, Lottia Gigantea, In Santa Cruz, California, William G. Wright, James W. Nybakken Sep 2007

Effect Of Wave Action On Movement In The Owl Limpet, Lottia Gigantea, In Santa Cruz, California, William G. Wright, James W. Nybakken

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The critical role of wave energy in the ecology of nearshore organisms is widely accepted, based primarily on biotic correlations over large scales of time and space. Much less is known about how large waves impact the behavioral ecology of individual organisms. Theoretical considerations and measurements of tenacity predict that intertidal gastropods should minimize the chances of dislodgement during periods of high waves by remaining stationary. We tested this prediction by observing a population of the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea G. B. Sowerby I, 1834, in a range of sea conditions. We found the proportion of the population moving during …


The Visceral Retia Mirabilia Of Tuna And Sharks: An Annotated Translation And Discussion Of The Eschricht And Müller 1835 Paper And Related Papers, Douglas S. Fudge, E. Don Stevens Feb 1996

The Visceral Retia Mirabilia Of Tuna And Sharks: An Annotated Translation And Discussion Of The Eschricht And Müller 1835 Paper And Related Papers, Douglas S. Fudge, E. Don Stevens

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The focus of this volume is an annotated translation of the classic work by J. Müller and D.F. Eschricht on the visceral anatomy of the bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, published in 1835. This text, with its outstanding figures, is to this day the definitive work on the anatomy of the bluefin viscera and especially on the circulation to and from the viscera. In addition, the text is historically important in that it represents the first comprehensive description of visceral relia mirabilia in a fish. In this work, Eschricht & Müller meticulously elucidate the pattern of blood flow to, within, …