b'Using Bioacoustics to Quantify Avian Biodiversity at West Nile Virus HotspotsLuis Tyson, Monica Jackson and Jayla Motley-BrownSponsors: Dr. Erin Grabarczyk and Dr. Mark Blackmore, Department of BiologyWest Nile Virus (WNV) is transmitted from birds to mosquito vectors, that in Lowndes County, Georgia can bite and infect humans. Assessing avian biodiversity at WNV hotspots can help determine where and why the virus persists in our community. In this study, we used automated passive acoustic recording technology to facilitate non-invasive, long-term monitoring of avian acoustic communities. We compared six acoustic indices that quantify biodiversity and complexity to the prevalence of WNV in mosquitos at 14 long-term surveillance sites. Our study is an important step towards understanding how the composition of avian acoustic communities relates to WNV in mosquitos.The Functional Morphology of the Hagfish Feeding Apparatus Dental Plate ComplexAdrienne L. WombleSponsor: Dr. Theodore Uyeno, Department of BiologyHagfish are deep-sea craniates that have not evolved opposable jaws. Despite this, hagfish can bite forcefully, allowing them to utilize food sources ranging from marine worms to giant whale carcasses. Since hagfish do not have moveable jaws, their bite is created through a rasping motion of a tongue-like structure that contains a toothy dental plate. Hagfish protract and retract this plate using a feeding apparatus formed of elaborately arranged cartilages, muscles, and connective tissues. The rigid cartilages can be visualized using microCT scans, however, the soft tissues are often difficult to see. I solved this problem by imaging the soft tissues that join and actuate the rigid components using traditional histological techniques. I then created serial sections of multiple orientations to create a three-dimensional anatomical interpretation. This analysis indicated that the plates of the feeding apparatus are joined by connective tissue hinges and that the musculature is a multifunctional complex organized into antagonistic groups that allow the protraction and retraction of the dental plate.18'