Thesis (M.S.)--Youngstown State University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 41).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1914. / "Reprinted from Biological Bulletin, vol. XXIX, no. 3, September, 1915." Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-203).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1914. / "Reprinted from Biological Bulletin, vol. XXIX, no. 3, September, 1915." Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-203).

Thesis (M.S.)--California Polytechnic State University, 2009. / Mode of access: Internet. Title from PDF title page; viewed on August 7, 2009. Major professor: Dr. Nikki Adams. "Presented to the faculty of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo." "In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree [of] Master of Science in Biological Sciences." "July 2009." Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-70).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 1964. / Bibliography: leaves 217-224.

The water vascular system is a highly modified mesocoel which is unique to the phylum Echinodermata. Hypotheses for the evolution of the water vascular system and its relationship to the mesocoel of other oligomerous animals are discussed. A scanning electron microscope survey of the skeletal structures associated with the water vascular system provides the first description of the ultrastructure of the madreporite, terminal tube foot plate, peristomial tube foot plate, tube foot (peri-stomial and ambulacral) disk elements. The relationship between the structure and function of skeletal elements is discussed, with particular emphasis on the madreporite and differences between the pores and disk elements of ambulacral and peristomial tube feet. The fine structure and innervation of the following intrathecal regions of the water vascular system were investigated: madreporite, axial organ, stone canal, circumoesophageal and radial water canals. It is postulated that the water vascular system has an important role in the transport, processing and removal of amoebocytes. The Polian vesicles and axial organ are major sites for amoebocyte collection and the axial organ processes amoebocytes prior to their removal via the madreporite. It is proposed that the madreporite is an excretory structure and necrotic amoebocytes and waste materials are evacuated by the ciliary activity of the endothelial cells lining the madreporite canal. On the basis of ultrastructure and fluorescence histochemistry, it is postulated that the aminergic axons of the basiepithelial plexus have a cilio-effector role and thus respiratory currents generated by ciliated epithelial cells are under neuronal control. The fine structure and innervation of the tube foot/ampulla complex was investigated. The three muscle groups of the complex consist of the disk levator muscle (D.L.M.), stem retractor muscles (S.R.M.) and ampulla muscles. It is proposed that the D.L.M. and ampulla muscles are structurally/functionally distinct from the S.R.M. with respect to endurance, speed of contraction and range. It is also proposed that the "changing acting partners" model for molluscan smooth muscle can also be applied to echinoderms' smooth muscle. The innervation of the tube foot/ampulla complex is rather unusual and it is proposed that a tube foot/ampulla ganglion occurs at the base of the tube foot within the perradial pore. Modified muscle processes termed muscle tails pass into the perradial pore and are innervated by motoneurons within the tube foot/ampulla ganglion. In addition, peripheral neurons termed L.D.S.G. cells innervated S.R.M., D.L.M., and connective tissue of tube feet and the inner muscle layer and connective tissue of the axial organ and Polian vesicles. The L.D.S.G. cells have been characterised histochemically and cytochemically and it is proposed that they elaborate a glycoprotein which has an important role in regulating cation fluxes within the connective tissue and musculature. The histochemistry and cytochemistry of tube foot connective tissue was investigated and the relationship between collagen filaments and glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans are described.

vi, 133 leaves : ill. ; 22 cm Photocopy of the 1966 edition Thesis--Oregon Bibliography: leaves 99-103 University of Oregon theses, Dept. of Biology, Ph.D., 1966

xv, 63 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Living echinoids comprise two major sister clades, the Euechinoidea and the Cidaroidea. Cidaroids first appeared during the lower Permian (~255 mya) and are considered to represent the primitive form of all other living echinoids. The present study of Cidaris blakei, a deep-sea planktotrophic cidaroid urchin, provides a description of development from fertilization through early juvenile stages and is the first report of a deep-sea organism reared through metamorphosis. Cidaris blakei resembles other cidaroids in its lack of a cohesive hyaline layer, the absence of an amniotic invagination for juvenile rudiment formation, and the presence of a single spine morphotype at metamorphosis. Cidaris blakei differs from other cidaroids in the presence of an apical tuft, the extent of fenestration of postoral skeletal rods, the shape of juvenile spines and an extended (14 day) lecithotrophic stage prior to development of a complete gut. This study includes my co-authored materials. / Adviser: Alan Shanks

A biochemical approach was used to detect the appearance of the heavy chain of skeletal myosin (HCSM) and myosin mRNA during the early development of Xenopus laevis embryos. An antibody against the HCSM of adult X. laevis muscles was biochemically characterized and shown to be monospecific. This anti-myosin antibody reacted with embryonic polysomes synthesizing myosin and with tadpole tail myosin. This indicates that the myosins of adult muscles, early embryonic muscles and tadpole tails are sufficiently homologous to share some antigenic determinants. Polysomes from various stages of X. laevis embryogenesis were reacted with the anti-myosin antibody. Analysis of these reactions showed that myosin synthesis begins in stage 20 embryos, in which about 7 somites have segregated. The RNA from stage 12, stage 16/17 and stage 20 embryos was then analyzed for the presence of the heavy chain myosin mRNA in order to determine whether the synthesis of myosin is under translational or transcriptional control. Total RNA preparations from staged embryos were fractionated on oligo(dT)-cellulose columns and fractions that did and did not bind were translated in a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesizing system. The translational products were precipitated with the anti-myosin antibody and characterized biochemically. Myosin mRNA was detected by this method in stage 16/17 embryos. We conclude that somite segregation results in the appearance of new myosin mRNA molecules in X. laevis embryos. It seems likely, by all the evidence considered, that a large pool of untranslated myosin mRNA molecules is not responsible for muscle myosin synthesis. Therefore, the synthesis of certain proteins in early development is under transcriptional control. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Unknown