Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology for FY 2009

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009. The fellowship supports a research and training plan entitled "The role of color pattern polymorphism in the evolution of snake mimicry: a statistical phylogeographic approach" for Alison Davis. The host institution for this research the University of California - Berkeley and the sponsoring scientist is Jim McGuire.Mimicry is common in both plants and animals, with many cases of conspicuous pattern-matching found among organisms. However, in mimicry systems where harmless species (mimics) discourage predators by resembling toxic species (models), many species paradoxically have coexisting mimetic and non-mimetic color patterns (polymorphism). Because such variation governs the interactions between models, mimics, and predators, identifying the role of polymorphism in these systems is essential to understanding how mimicry is maintained or lost over long periods of time. This research uses a computationally intensive genetic approach to test hypotheses proposed to explain stable and widespread polymorphism in a mimetic snake species, Sonora semiannulata. The training objectives of the fellowship include developing advanced skills in computational biology, including methods in statistics, molecular phylogenetics, and bioinformatics. The scientific impact is to increase understanding of mimicry systems and their evolutionary significance. The evolutionary history likely has a large, but rarely investigated, influence on the dynamics and distribution of mimetic types. The fellowship's broader impacts include extensive mentoring and outreach activities, working with the University of California's Science and Math Initiative and CalTeach programs to promote the participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences.