U.S.-Thailand-Singapore Cooperative Research: A Comparative Study of Southeast Asian Aquatic Snake Communities

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0099323JayneThis is a one-year cooperative proposal between Dr. Bruce Jayne of the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Harold Voris of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History, and Dr. Peter Ng of the National University of Singapore and Dr. Vachira Lehknim of the Prince of Songkal University, Thailand. They proposed to study aquatic and marine snake species in the Malay Peninsula to relating morphological diversity to foraging ecology. The Malay Peninsula has a unique high diversity of aquatic and marine snakes. It is an area well suited to this study. This is also an important scientific question in ecology. The result of this study has a broad impact on the understanding of the integration of organismal design with the environment. The U.S. researchers are experts in this area and well suited to carry out this study. They will also provide seminars to introduce comparative functional studies to their colleagues in Thailand and Singapore. This is a relatively uncommon approach to scientists in Southeast Asia, but could be important in the understanding of evolutionary changes in morphology and performance in diverse tropical systems. The Thailand Research Council and the NSF jointly support this project.