Ecological divergence along the early neuraxes

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Biologists know a great deal about how the process of development makes a brain, but less about the mechanisms employed during the evolution of brain diversity. The proposed research integrates the disciplines of ecology, evolutionary genetics and molecular biology to determine how some of the earliest events in an organism's lifetime lead to differences in brain organization, and ultimately to differences in behavior. Expected outcomes include the identification of developmental signaling pathways that organize embryonic brains and the means by which changes in these pathways drive ecologically relevant brain diversification. Broader impacts include (i) an integrative understanding of the relationship between animal development and behavior, (ii) the training of female and science-minority postdoctoral scientists, and (iii) creative educational programs for inner city Atlanta elementary schools.