Dissertation Research: Intraspecific Competition for        Mutualists: Conditional Interactions in a Membracid-Ant     Association
{'Code': '08010208', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Althea Ball', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
While the concept of competition for mutualists has                        attracted considerable attention during the past century, few                   studies have provided direct experimental evidence documenting                  its occurrence.  This absence is particularly evident for                       homopteran-ant associations.  The proposed research is designed                 to experimentally evaluate the hypothesis that neighboring                      homopteran aggregations intraspecifically compete for the                       services of an ant mutualist.  Manipulative experiments have                    previously demonstrated that the membracid Publilia modesta                     (Homoptera) benefits from being tended by the ant Formica occulta               in most years.  A series of experiments will evaluate the                       following hypotheses: (1) ants are a limited resource for                       membracids, (2) the number of ants tending membracids, and not                  just the presence of ants, has a significant impact on membracid                fitness, (3) intra- and interspecific variation in host-plant                   quality influences the chemical composition of membracid honeydew               and therefore the ability of membracids to compete for ants, and                (4) tending ants benefit membracids by reducing the impact of                   predatory spiders (Pellenes sp.).  Such experimental studies will               provide needed insight into the dynamics of mutualistic                         interaction in spatially-variable environments.
[{'FirstName': 'Thomas', 'LastName': 'Whitham', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'G', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Thomas G Whitham', 'EmailAddress': 'Thomas.Whitham@nau.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000391508', 'StartDate': '11/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'J. Hall', 'LastName': 'Cushman', 'PI_MID_INIT': None, 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'J. Hall Cushman', 'EmailAddress': 'cushman@sonoma.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000118541', 'StartDate': '11/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Northern Arizona University', 'CityName': 'FLAGSTAFF', 'ZipCode': '86011', 'PhoneNumber': '9285230886', 'StreetAddress': '601 S KNOLES DR RM 220', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Arizona', 'StateCode': 'AZ', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '02', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'AZ02', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'MXHAS3AKPRN1', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '112800', 'Text': 'Population & Community Ecology'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8815544.xml'}