Sex-Ratio Behavior and Ecology of Nasonia
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Fred Stollnitz', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Given genetically determined variations in behavior (among                      individuals of a species), natural selection will favor those                   variants with the most appropriate behavior for their                           environment.  Thus, in order to fully understand the evolution of               behavior, one needs to know at least two things:  the degree to                 which the behavior of interest is under genetic control, and the                ecological milieu in which the behavior occurs.                                                                                                                 In bees and wasps, females have behavioral control over the sex                 of their offspring and, given this, they produce different ratios               of sons and daughters in different environments.  A deep                        theoretical understanding of the ecological forces selecting for                particular sex ratios has developed over the past two decades.                  This theory is able to account for many of the patterns of sex-                 ratio production observed in bees and wasps (as well as many                    other organisms).  However, two broad gaps remain in our                        knowledge.  While the patterns of sex-ratio production are well                 documented, little is known regarding the environmental cues                    leading females to vary the sex ratio, nor do we understand the                 behavioral processes by which different sex ratios are produced.                Yet it is at these levels--variation in the responsiveness to                   environmental cues and variation in the processes of sex-ratio                  production--that genetics becomes a significant component of                    behavior.  Secondly, because many wasps and bees are difficult to               study in nature, our knowledge of their ecology, as it relates to               sex-ratio theory, is often scanty.  In order to truly test the                  theories, detailed accounts of the relevant ecology are needed                  for a variety of species.                                                                                                                                       Dr. Skinner's research is aimed at filling these gaps by                        utilizing a wasp that is uniquely amenable to both genetic and                  ecological research.  The goals of this project are (1) to                      experimentally dissect the behaviors of different wasp genotypes                to (a) determine what, mechanistically, leads them to produce                   different sex ratios, (b) determine the environmental cues that                 elicit different sex-ratio behaviors, and (c) determine the                     degree to which "different" sex-ratio behaviors are fundamentally               integrated by common underlying mechanisms, (2) to videotape egg-               laying in seminatural settings in order to assess the relative                  contributions of different behaviors to the overall sex ratios                  produced by individual females, and (3) to observe mating and                   egg-laying behaviors in nature to provide a detailed ecological                 framework for laboratory studies of sex-ratio behavior.
[{'FirstName': 'Samuel', 'LastName': 'Skinner', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'W', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Samuel W Skinner', 'EmailAddress': 'sskinner@biology.emory.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000101499', 'StartDate': '02/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'B.', 'LastName': 'King', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'H', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'B. H King', 'EmailAddress': 'bking@niu.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000114691', 'StartDate': '02/01/1989', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'Indiana University', 'CityName': 'BLOOMINGTON', 'ZipCode': '474057000', 'PhoneNumber': '3172783473', 'StreetAddress': '107 S INDIANA AVE', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Indiana', 'StateCode': 'IN', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '09', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'IN09', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'YH86RTW2YVJ4', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'YH86RTW2YVJ4'}
{'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'}, {'Code': '1160', 'Text': 'IBN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8820069.xml'}