Paleontologists must confront the challenge of studying the forms and functions of extinct
species for which data from preserved fossils are extremely limited, yielding only a …

Amphibiousness in fishes spans the actinopterygian tree from the earliest to the most
recently derived species. The land environment requires locomotor force production different …

Birth, and the period shortly thereafter, is a perilous time for any organism. Following
parturition or hatching, individuals face many challenges, including environmental stressors …

Fins of fishes provide many examples of structures that are beautifully designed to power
and control movement in water; however, some species also use their fins for substrate …

Skeletal muscle remodeling in response to terrestrial acclimation improves the locomotor
performance of some amphibious fishes on land, but the cue for this remodeling is unknown …

The ability of bones to sense and respond to mechanical loading is a central feature of
vertebrate skeletons. However, the functional demands imposed on terrestrial and aquatic …

Fishes are effectively weightless in water due to the buoyant support of the environment, but
amphibious fishes must cope with increased effective weight when on land. Delicate …

The evolution and utilization of limbs facilitated terrestrial vertebrate movement on land, but
little is known about how other lateral structures enhance terrestrial locomotion in amphibian …

The skeletal muscle of teleost fish is remarkable in its capacity for indeterminate growth and
phenotypic plasticity to function across different environmental conditions. Generation of the …

The ability to modulate the function of muscle is integral to an animal's ability to function
effectively in the face of widely disparate challenges. This modulation of function can …