Behavioral Diversity and Ontogeny
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Fred Stollnitz'}
Reptiles are becoming recognized as an excellent model species for              approaching questions in behavioral development.  They have well                documented behavioral patterns, which are ideal for ontogenetic study.          Baby snakes are precocious, with no help from the parents, thus they            have to fend for themselves from birth.  Litters are often large--60 or         more--and many do not survive to reproduce.  There is thus a premium on         performing adaptive responses via genetically determined behavioral             mechanisms and/or rapid learning or other developmental mechanisms.  The        present research will focus on several issues.  First, there is a large         amount of diversity found among individual snakes born to the same              mother, yet little is known about the reasons underlying the individual         variability.  Large effects are seen between litters in feeding, social,        and defensive behaviors, but it is not clear if these are due to                environmental or genetically determined traits.  The diversity may be           due to different fathers even for litter mates.  Careful behavioral             observations will allow some conclusions to be drawn regarding these            questions.                                                                                                                                                      Snakes are also the land vertebrates with the most complete reliance, as        a group, on the chemical senses in virtually all aspects of their               behavior.  The possibility that social grouping in snakes is related to         the transmission of information about food sources via chemical cues            will be examined.  Such data will allow clarification of the role of            chemical cues and the mechanisms through which they act.  Therefore,            this research project will address behavioral, hormonal and genetic             factors that underly the adaptations and behavioral development                 exhibited by this species.
{'FirstName': 'Gordon', 'LastName': 'Burghardt', 'EmailAddress': 'gburghar@utk.edu', 'StartDate': '08/15/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Tennessee Knoxville', 'CityName': 'Knoxville', 'ZipCode': '379163801', 'PhoneNumber': '8659743466', 'StreetAddress': '1331 CIR PARK DR', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Tennessee', 'StateCode': 'TN'}
{'Code': '1160', 'Text': 'IBN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8709629.xml'}