Dissertation Research: A Phylogenetic Analysis of the Major Lineages of Fishes Utilizing Direct Sequencing of Ribosomal RNA
{'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}
This study will determine the times of origin and                          evolutionary relatedness of the major groups of primitive fishes                (lampreys, hagfishes, sharks, rays, lungfishes, coelacanth,                     sturgeons, paddlefish, gars, and bowfins as well as selected                    species of advanced fishes, whose distinctive morphologies and                  habitats have arisen relatively recently.  Insights into the                    evolution of fish groups whose ancestors gave rise to all land                  vertebrates is crucial to our understanding of the evolutionary                 mechanisms and adaptations leading to the highly diversified and                complex vertebrates existing today.                                                  The evolutionary tree for these fishes will be constructed                 on the basis of comparing the sequences of their genes inferred                 from the sequence of a gene product, RNA.  Once the evolutionary                tree for fishes is constructed from these molecular data, it will               be compared with trees constructed form other kinds of traits,                  for example morphological differences, in order to determine what               combination of traits is most effective in resolving                            evolutionary relationships.  Once the most likely evolutionary                  tree for the fishes is established, it will be possible to                      investigate the kinds and rates of evolution that have led to the               diversity of fish species that exist today.  Once the "history"                 of fish evolution is established, it will provide insight about                 the kinds of constraints and opportunities that exist for a                     species when it faces altered environments (natural or human                    influenced).
{'FirstName': 'Gregory', 'LastName': 'Whitt', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'S', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Gregory S Whitt', 'EmailAddress': None, 'PI_PHON': None, 'NSF_ID': '000410893', 'StartDate': '11/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign', 'CityName': 'URBANA', 'ZipCode': '618013620', 'PhoneNumber': '2173332187', 'StreetAddress': '506 S WRIGHT ST', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Illinois', 'StateCode': 'IL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '13', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'IL13', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'Y8CWNJRCNN91', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS', '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': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8815362.xml'}