Biology

Progress

Are Invasive Plants More Toxic than Native Ones?

The Chemical Ecology and Toxicology group at UAB analysed the concentration of certain molecules of the Senecio pterophorus shrub, which are toxic to vertebrates and invertebrates, in plants collected in their native environment and in three non-native environments, to determine whether changes in their own chemical composition and toxicity take place.

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Progress

Production of Toxin-Free Bacterial Amyloid

Inclusion bodies or amyloids are nanostructured protein aggregates produced inside a cell, frequent in certain bacteria, and with interesting biomedical applications. A study has developed several toxin-free E. coli strains from which amyloids free from potentially hazardous cell contaminants have been produced.

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Progress

How the World's Largest Salamander Feed?

An international team has developed three-dimensional models of the bite of the world's largest living amphibian, the Chinese giant salamander, an endangered animal. Understanding how this species hunts not only broadens the knowledge of its biology but can also help in reconstructing how early tetrapods and extinct amphibians fed.

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Progress

Cairanoolithus: a Large Egg for a Small Dinosaur With Wide Hips

The study of the microstructure of the eggshell of Cairanoolithus conducted by Albert G. Sellés and Angel Galobart, both researchers at the ICP, reveals that this egg type does not belong to sauropod dinosaurs but to ankylosaurs, and probably to Struthiosaurus, a genus of armored dinosaurs. The finding would represent the first description of thyreophora eggs in the world.

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12/2006 -

A key to understand bivalve biodiversity and evolution

There are ca. 20.000 living species of bivalve molluscs, one of the oldest and evolutionary most successful classes of invertebrates. An ongoing research project at the Paleontology Area of the UAB Department of Geology deals with the question of how ontogeny and biodiversity evolved in these molluscs. The results can explain the existence of convergent traits in unrelated phylogenetic lineages.

References

Malchus, N; Waren, A, Shell and hinge morphology of juvenile Limopsis (Bivalvia : Arcoida) implications for limopsid evolution, MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH, 1 (5): 350-364 NOV 2005.

There are ca. 20.000 living species of bivalve molluscs, one of the oldest and evolutionary most successful classes of invertebrates. An ongoing research project at the Paleontology Area of the UAB Department of Geology deals with the question of how ontogeny and biodiversity evolved in these molluscs. The results can explain the existence of convergent traits in unrelated phylogenetic lineages.

Nikolaus Malchus

Department of Geology

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Nikolaus.Malchus@uab.es

Bibliography

1 Malchus, N. 2004a. Shell ontogeny of Jurassic bakevelliid bivalves and its bearing on bivalve phylogeny. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49: 85-110.

2 Malchus, N. 2004b. Constraints in the ligament ontogeny and evolution of pteriomorphian Bivalvia. Palaeontology 47: 1539-1574.

3 Malchus, N. and Warén, A. 2005. Shell and hinge morphology of juvenile Limopsis (Bivalvia: Arcoida) - implications for limopsid evolution. Marine Biology Research 1: 350-364.

4 Smith KK, 2003. Time?s arrow: heterochrony and the evolution of development. International Journal of Developmental Biology 47: 613-621 (2003)

5 http://bivalvia2006.uab.es

2024 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

B.11870-2012 ISSN: 2014-6388