Dissertation Research: Quantitative Genetics of a Parasitic Wasp
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Tarri Joyner', 'PO_EMAI': 'tjoyner@nsf.gov', 'PO_PHON': '7032927742'}
In most species, the numbers of sons and daughters are                     equal, and this 1:1 sex ratio is found generally in animals with                large, randomly mating populations.  Even sex ratios are a                      consequence of chromosomal sex determination (e.g. mammals, in                  which females are XX and males are XY).  In animals with this                   kind of sex determination, there is little or no genetic                        variation for sex ratio.  In Hymenoptera (bees, ants and wasps),                however, sex is not determined in this way; female offspring                    arise from fertilized eggs, and males arise from unfertilized                   eggs.  Sex ratios that regularly differ from 1:1 are found in                   parasitic wasps.  The hosts of parasitic wasps are distributed in               patches, so mating among the offspring from a patch is not                      random.  When mating is not random throughout a population, there               is no reason to produce more sons than are necessary to                         inseminate all the females, so the theoretically expected sex                   ratio is female-biased.  Furthermore, theory predicts that there                will be little genetic variation in sex ratio even when sex ratio               is female-biased.                                                                    Despite theoretical predictions, genetic variation in sex                  ratio has been demonstrated in a number of parasitic wasps.                     Muscidifurax raptor is a wasp that attacks the pupae of various                 fly species.  It is used for biological control of houseflies and               stableflies at poultry farms and cattle feedlots.  The                          investigators will conduct a series of experiments that will                    describe the genetic variation in sex ratio and related                         characters like lifetime fecundity, longevity, and survival of                  offspring.  Mechanisms that could maintain genetic variation for                sex ratio will also be examined.  This research also has                        applications for biological control because it will point out how               artificial selection for sex ratio will affect other traits, and                determine whether favored traits are expressed equally in all                   environments.
[{'FirstName': 'Michael', 'LastName': 'Antolin', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'F', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Michael F Antolin', 'EmailAddress': 'michael.antolin@colostate.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000207233', 'StartDate': '12/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Daniel', 'LastName': 'Simberloff', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Daniel Simberloff', 'EmailAddress': 'dsimberloff@utk.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000198285', 'StartDate': '12/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Florida State University', 'CityName': 'TALLAHASSEE', 'ZipCode': '323060001', 'PhoneNumber': '8506445260', 'StreetAddress': '874 TRADITIONS WAY', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Florida', 'StateCode': 'FL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '02', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'FL02', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'JF2BLNN4PJC3', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8815356.xml'}