REU:  Life History and Endocrine Function
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Gregory J. McCants', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
This proposal addresses the evolution of male reproductive              behavior in birds.  In general, male vertebrates mate                           promiscuously and provide little help in rearing offspring.                     However, males are usually monogamous and they often provide care               to their young.  It has long been assumed that monogamy and                     parental care evolved in birds because male care was necessary                  for the successful rearing of offspring.  Recent research,                      however, has shown that female birds whose mates have been taken                from them are often able to comensate for mate absence.  Other                  recent research has examined the hormonal basis of mating and                   parental care behaviors in birds.  By manipulation of male                      physiology through testosterone implants, workers have found that               increased testosterone leads to both an increase in the tendency                for males to mate polygynously and a decrease in their tendency                 to care for offspring.  If females are able to rear young without               male help and if polygyny requires only a relatively small                      physiological alteration, then the question arises, why has male                care evolved and what constrains males to monogamy?  This                       proposal is designed to answer this question; it proposes an                    alternative explanation for male monogamy and a test of this                    explanation.                                                                            Ketterson and Nolan will treat males with testosterone and              attempt to quantify any effect of testosterone-altered behavior                 on male survivorship.  They will then observe the responses of                  females toward males, in particular any tendencies to mate                      initially with altered males and to maintain or not to maintain                 the association over the course of the full breeding season.                    Their results should contribute to our general understanding of                 the evolution of behavior by permitting a quantitative estimate                 of costs and benefits associated with alternative reproductive                  physiologies.                                                                           One potential applied aspect of this work is the greater                insight into the evolution and regulation of human parenting                    behavior it may provide.  Divorce is common in our society and                  the costs to children are high.  Human males differ from most                   other mammals in the extent to which they provide parental care                 to their young; their behavior more closely resembles that of                   birds than the most commonly studied mammal, the rat.  Although                 it is always risky to draw comparisons between human behavior and               that of other animals, it is also true that an increased                        understanding of the physiological and ecological basis for                     mating and parental behavior may help society take a more                       objective look at its own behavior.  Because of the scarcity of                 mammal models for male parental care, birds may provide the best                alternative.
[{'FirstName': 'Val', 'LastName': 'Nolan', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Val Nolan', 'EmailAddress': 'vnolan@indiana.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000293865', 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Ellen', 'LastName': 'Ketterson', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'D', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Ellen D Ketterson', 'EmailAddress': 'ketterso@indiana.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000310196', 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Indiana University', 'CityName': 'BLOOMINGTON', 'ZipCode': '474057000', 'PhoneNumber': '3172783473', 'StreetAddress': '107 S INDIANA AVE', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Indiana', 'StateCode': 'IN', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '09', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'IN09', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'YH86RTW2YVJ4', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '112700', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}, {'Code': '912000', 'Text': 'CROSS-DIRECTORATE PROGRAMS'}, {'Code': '914500', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8718358.xml'}