REU: Functional Approaches to Kin Recognition
{'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}
Although the theoretical benefits of kin recognition are                clear, experimental and observational studies are necessary to                  determine the functional significance of kin recognition.  By                   examining mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, the extent to which                    individuals in wild populations are genetically related can be                  determined.  Using this technique, several studies will be                      undertaken to determine how animals make use of their kin                       recognition abilities.                                                                  Experimental studies of the function of kin recognition thus            will be conducted during both phases of amphibian life cycle.                   The social structure of natural schools will be examined by means               of DNA analyses to determine whether siblings sort out and                      associate with each other.  Laboratory experiments will be                      conducted to determine whether those sibling groups that survive                and grow best in mixed groups also show the strongest tendencies                to school with siblings.  By integrating considerations of the                  mechanisms underlying kin recognition with the functional                       consequences of kin discrimination, these studies should lead to                a greater understanding of how natural selection acts on                        behavioral mechanisms.  The research has broader possible                       implications, however, because in accomplishing these goals, DNA                analyses will be used for the first time to study the social                    behavior of individuals in natural populations.  These methods                  promise to offer more power for resolving genetic relationships                 than previous techniques, and in the future may be applied to a                 variety of ecological problems, including the management of                     endangered species, studies of migration and dispersal, and                     determination of optimal sizes of breeding habitats.  Only by                   conducting thorough analyses of population structure, can the                   appropriateness of the use of molecular markers for population                  ecology studies be evaluated.
[{'FirstName': 'Rodney', 'LastName': 'Honeycutt', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Rodney Honeycutt', 'EmailAddress': 'rodney.honeycutt@pepperdine.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000522806', 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Bruce', 'LastName': 'Waldman', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Bruce Waldman', 'EmailAddress': None, 'NSF_ID': '000296221', 'StartDate': '01/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Harvard University', 'CityName': 'CAMBRIDGE', 'ZipCode': '021385366', 'PhoneNumber': '6174955501', 'StreetAddress': '1033 MASSACHUSETTS AVE STE 3', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Massachusetts', 'StateCode': 'MA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '05', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'MA05', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'LN53LCFJFL45', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}, {'Code': '9120', 'Text': 'CROSS-DIRECTORATE PROGRAMS'}]
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