NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2001

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This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2001. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Are ant-plant mutualisms disrupted in rainforest fragments?" The subtitle is "Influence of fragment size and edge proximity on ant colony establishment, growth, and defense against herbivores." This research investigates how rain forest fragmentation impacts plants and the ants that defend them from herbivores. In addition to determining if the community of ant-plant mutualists is reduced in fragments, a focal ant-plant system is being used to experimentally investigate three potential mechanisms by which ant-plant mutualisms can be altered in forest fragments. The field work is being carried out in Brazil.