Aliya Spinner
Pronouns: she/him
Research Mentor(s): Roberto Marquez Pizano
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Ecology and Evolutiionary Biology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 1 – 10am – 10:50am
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 104
Abstract
The Phylobates poison dart frogs are a diverse and beautiful genus of amphibians endemic to the Chocó rainforests in Northwestern South America. Adults in two species of this genus are uniquely colorful, often standing out in bright oranges, yellows, and whites. Froglets however are black with a yellow dorsolateral stripe, and gradually develop solid-yellow coloration as they mature. In our project, we seek to understand the cellular processes behind coloration development by inspecting change in pigment cell organization and interactions using light and electron microscopy. We believe that the development of bright coloration in different species of Phylobates holds clues to the functional mechanisms underlying the complex evolutionary history of coloration in these frogs. Much of our initial imaging and hypotheses were inspired by the work of Taylor and Bagnara in 1972, when the first pictures of the complex layers of poison dart frog skin were taken, clearly showing the complex arrangement of crystalline iridophores and malleable melanophores beneath. We hoped that with modern technology and a wider range of frogs in differing stages of development, we could produce much clearer images of these cells interacting in the dermis.
Interdisciplinary, Natural/Life Sciences
