Dissertation Research: A Molecular Phylogeny of the         Icterina
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'James E. Rodman', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The goal of this project is to reconstruct the evolutionary                     history of what may be the world's most diverse family of birds:                the blackbirds.  The blackbird family, or Icterinae, includes the               familiar red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, and orioles of North               America, as well as many species native to Mexico and Central                   and South America.  The blackbirds range in size from the tiny                  orchard oriole to the gigantic Montezuma oropendula, in mating                  systems from the strictly monogamous melodious blackbird to the                 highly polygynous Mexican cacique, and in color from the radiant                orange of northern orioles to the velvet black of mountain                      grackles.  Our task is to compare the DNA of different species                  and reconstruct the group's phylogeny, or family tree.  Using                   this tree, we will try to answer several important questions:                        Have the highly social lineages evolved more rapidly than                  the solitary ones?  The astonishingly rapid evolution of human                  posture, brain size, and hand morphology may have resulted from                 intense selection for novel adaptations triggered when                          individuals in social groups learned new food-gathering                         techniques.  Has this type of evolution occurred in birds?                           In some Icterine lineages males (primarily) use elaborate                  displays and songs and bright coloration to compete for mates and               food.  Have these "conspicuous" groups speciated more rapidly                   than the more dully-colored, "quieter" lineages?  Perhaps an                    entirely new species could arise when a mutation introduced a                   novel type of song or patch of color to use in acquiring or                     defending resources.                                                                 A molecular phylogeny of the Icterinae should produce a                    wealth of insights into the evolutionary process.
[{'FirstName': 'Scott', 'LastName': 'Freeman', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'R', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Scott R Freeman', 'EmailAddress': 'srf991@u.washington.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000335295', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Sievert', 'LastName': 'Rohwer', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'A', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Sievert A Rohwer', 'EmailAddress': 'rohwer@u.washington.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000217955', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'University of Washington', 'CityName': 'SEATTLE', 'ZipCode': '981951016', 'PhoneNumber': '2065434043', 'StreetAddress': '4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Washington', 'StateCode': 'WA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '07', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'WA07', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'HD1WMN6945W6', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
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