12. The Tynamo That Harnessed the Lateral Line: Evolutionary Physiology

Adapt or Die! The Evolutionary Biology of Pop Culture

Welcome to this brand new episode of Adapt or Die! The evolutionary biology of pop culture hosted by Austin Ashbaugh. The current cultural phenomenon we are discussing this season is Pokémon and todays episode is focused on the electric type. Our evolutionary connection to the electric type is evolutionary physiology.
In the Safari Zone, I get into what physiology is, how it evolves, and how some of the systems that we see in real life have been used to generate pokémon lines. During the pokémon professors rant, I appropriately rant about the need for a dowsing machine / pokeradar on water through electroreception. Lastly, we will end todays episode with describing a regional variant of a platypus line and results from our latest pokémon spectacular competition. Sit back and relax in a chair older than yourself, open an old dusty tome, and join me as we adapt or die!
Link to Google Slides of Pokémon discussed in this episode
Resources cited for research in this episode:
1. Garland, T., & Carter, P. A. (1994). Evolutionary physiology. _Annual review of physiology_, _56_(1), 579-621.
2. Greenwood, P. G., & Mariscal, R. N. (1984). The utilization of cnidarian nematocysts by aeolid nudibranchs: nematocyst maintenance and release in Spurilla. _Tissue and Cell_, _16_(5), 719-730.
3. Herring PJ, Munk O. The escal light gland of the deep-sea anglerfish Haplophryne mollis (Pisces: Ceratioidei) with observations on luminescence control. _Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom_. 1994;74(4):747-763. doi:10.1017/S0025315400090020
4. Lissmann, H. W. (1958). On the function and evolution of electric organs in fish. _Journal of experimental biology_, _35_(1), 156-191.
5. Noble, D., Jablonka, E., Joyner, M. J., Müller, G. B., & Omholt, S. W. (2014). Evolution evolves: physiology returns to centre stage. The Journal of physiology, 592(Pt 11), 2237.
6. Wägele, M., & Johnsen, G. (2001). Observations on the histology and photosynthetic performance of “solar-powered” opisthobranchs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) containing symbiotic chloroplasts or zooxanthellae. _Organisms Diversity & Evolution_, _1_(3), 193-210.
7. Wernegreen, J. J. (2012). Endosymbiosis. _Current Biology_, _22_(14), R555-R561.
8. https://www.serebii.net/pokemon/type/electric/

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Song credits: Music by Gregor Quendel from Pixabay
Logo design: Austin Ashbaugh, Chase Ashbaugh, Xander Allen