Photo Gallery
Adventures in Denton, Texas As documented with my camera phone (Jan-Feb 2006) I. Intriguing Signs in Denton II. Intriguing Food Available at the Sack n' Save Mmmm.. Whole pig head with a side of chitterlings... III. Ed, Hiroshi, and Mike's Excellent Adventure at the M. Pearson Emu Ranch, Pilot Point, TX III. Mike, Warren and Tyler's Excellent Adventure at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, TX A print in the sidewalk? Why, here is irrefutable proof that man and dinosaur walked the earth together! V. Action Packed Excitement in the Lab Ontogeny was not kind to this Day 14 embryo--no head and an external heart. SICB 2006, Orlando, FL K' College people at SICB (L-R: Ed Dzialowski, Tess Killpack, Paul Sotherland, Eddy Price, Moi) "Just for Grins": A Symposium in Honor of Dr. Paul R. Sotherland (Kalamazoo College, November 2005) Turtle Season 2005 Midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) from Washtenaw Co., Michigan Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) from Livingston Co., Michigan A relatively small female snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) from Washtenaw Co., Michigan. A female Blanding's turtle who lost out against a motor vehicle in Livingston Co., Michigan. It's likely that this turtle was older than the driver who ran over it. A good-looking male green frog (Rana clamitans) from Livingston Co., Michigan. Amphibian Season 2005 The Frog Pond at Asherwood Environmental Science Center, Wabash Co. IN. The drift fence for collecting salamanders entering and leaving the pond is on the far shore. Male Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata) A pair of Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) preparing to breed Pseudacris egg masses A pit trap full of salamanders, mostly spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). There were 260 animals in this one bucket. A spotted salamander in one of the pit traps. Another spotted salamander adjacent to the one in the previous photo. A snapshot from another pit trap. Besides the large number of spotted salamanders, there are a few Jefferson's salamander hybrids (Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex) and a spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) in this photo. The green patch in the center-left of the photo is a male green frog (Rana clamitans) buried under the salamanders. Spotted salamander bearing elastomer markings used to identify individuals in our long-term study of this population. A hybrid Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex salamander. In this part of Indiana, all female populations of these hybrids are abundant. The predominant type are triploids with two homologues of each chromosome from A. jeffersonianum and one homologue from A. laterale (the blue-spotted salamander). They reproduce gynogenically -- the eggs require contact with a sperm cell to initiate development, but the sperm normally does not contribute its genes to the offspring. In this part of Indiana, these hybrid populations rely on A. texanum (the small mouthed salamander) as their principle source of sperm. Curiously, we have not been able to find any male A. texanum at this study site, and no hybrids with A. maculatum are known. A breeding aggregation of spotted salamanders. Many males are attempting to mate with a single female. Spotted salamander spermatopores. A spotted salamander egg mass. Photo by M. Westerfield. More spotted salamander egg masses. And yet more spotted salamander egg masses. The white dots left center and upper right are hybrid Jefferson's salamander egg masses where the eggs have died and fungus has entered the eggs. Photo by M. Westerfield. A leech affixed to a spotted salamander. We are currently examining the incidence of leech parasitism at this breeding site. Photo by M. Westerfield. An ontogenic "whoopsie"! Photo by C. Chauret. SICB 2005 - San Diego Ashley discussing the profound implications of our research with Gary Gerald of Miami University while attending the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in San Diego (January 2005). Here I am with Emily Taylor from Arizona State University. Just look at all that luxuriant flowing hair!
Adventures in Denton, Texas As documented with my camera phone
(Jan-Feb 2006)
I. Intriguing Signs in Denton
II. Intriguing Food Available at the Sack n' Save
Mmmm.. Whole pig head with a side of chitterlings...
III. Ed, Hiroshi, and Mike's Excellent Adventure at the M. Pearson Emu Ranch, Pilot Point, TX
III. Mike, Warren and Tyler's Excellent Adventure at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, TX
A print in the sidewalk? Why, here is irrefutable proof that man and dinosaur walked the earth together!
V. Action Packed Excitement in the Lab
Ontogeny was not kind to this Day 14 embryo--no head and an external heart.
SICB 2006, Orlando, FL
K' College people at SICB (L-R: Ed Dzialowski, Tess Killpack, Paul Sotherland, Eddy Price, Moi)
"Just for Grins": A Symposium in Honor of Dr. Paul R. Sotherland (Kalamazoo College, November 2005)
Turtle Season 2005
Midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) from Washtenaw Co., Michigan
Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) from Livingston Co., Michigan
A relatively small female snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) from Washtenaw Co., Michigan.
A female Blanding's turtle who lost out against a motor vehicle in Livingston Co., Michigan. It's likely that this turtle was older than the driver who ran over it.
A good-looking male green frog (Rana clamitans) from Livingston Co., Michigan.
Amphibian Season 2005
The Frog Pond at Asherwood Environmental Science Center, Wabash Co. IN. The drift fence for collecting salamanders entering and leaving the pond is on the far shore.
Male Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)
A pair of Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata) preparing to breed
Pseudacris egg masses
A pit trap full of salamanders, mostly spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). There were 260 animals in this one bucket.
A spotted salamander in one of the pit traps.
Another spotted salamander adjacent to the one in the previous photo.
A snapshot from another pit trap. Besides the large number of spotted salamanders, there are a few Jefferson's salamander hybrids (Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex) and a spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) in this photo. The green patch in the center-left of the photo is a male green frog (Rana clamitans) buried under the salamanders.
Spotted salamander bearing elastomer markings used to identify individuals in our long-term study of this population.
A hybrid Ambystoma jeffersonianum complex salamander. In this part of Indiana, all female populations of these hybrids are abundant. The predominant type are triploids with two homologues of each chromosome from A. jeffersonianum and one homologue from A. laterale (the blue-spotted salamander). They reproduce gynogenically -- the eggs require contact with a sperm cell to initiate development, but the sperm normally does not contribute its genes to the offspring. In this part of Indiana, these hybrid populations rely on A. texanum (the small mouthed salamander) as their principle source of sperm. Curiously, we have not been able to find any male A. texanum at this study site, and no hybrids with A. maculatum are known.
A breeding aggregation of spotted salamanders. Many males are attempting to mate with a single female.
Spotted salamander spermatopores.
A spotted salamander egg mass. Photo by M. Westerfield.
More spotted salamander egg masses.
And yet more spotted salamander egg masses. The white dots left center and upper right are hybrid Jefferson's salamander egg masses where the eggs have died and fungus has entered the eggs. Photo by M. Westerfield.
A leech affixed to a spotted salamander. We are currently examining the incidence of leech parasitism at this breeding site. Photo by M. Westerfield.
An ontogenic "whoopsie"! Photo by C. Chauret.
SICB 2005 - San Diego
Ashley discussing the profound implications of our research with Gary Gerald of Miami University while attending the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in San Diego (January 2005).
Here I am with Emily Taylor from Arizona State University. Just look at all that luxuriant flowing hair!