NSF Org: |
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | February 19, 2019 |
Latest Amendment Date: | February 19, 2019 |
Award Number: | 1846260 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Leslie J. Rissler
lrissler@nsf.gov (703)292-4628 DEB Division Of Environmental Biology BIO Direct For Biological Sciences |
Start Date: | June 1, 2019 |
End Date: | May 31, 2025 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $781,397.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $781,397.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
500 S LIMESTONE LEXINGTON KY US 40526-0001 (859)257-9420 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
500 S Limestone 109 Kinkead Hall Lexington KY US 40526-0001 |
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): |
Evolutionary Processes, Animal Behavior, EPSCoR Co-Funding |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
Groups of organisms including animals, plants, and even microbes can often accomplish tasks together that individuals cannot do alone. However, individuals who do not help their neighbors erode the benefits of group living, which can destabilize the group. In the long run, the balance of these forces leads some populations and species to live in complex groups while others live solitary lives. Examples of species living in complex groups include ant and bee colonies, hyena clans, and human societies. Mathematical tools from evolutionary biology and economics have been used to predict when the benefits of group living might outweigh the costs. Although these predictions can explain broad patterns across the tree of life, they have not been updated to incorporate recent advances in DNA technology. These advances have revolutionized how scientists understand the influence of genes on human disease and have also helped biologists link genes to social behavior and the propensity to act cooperatively in groups in many different animals species. This research will develop new mathematical and computational tools for the scientific community that will explicitly incorporate these data so that biologists can better understand the history and function of genes that affect social behavior and group living. This knowledge will not only shed light on the evolutionary origins of cooperation and conflict, it will help biologists dissect the genetic basis of group living, which is important for understanding the mechanisms by which changes in the social environment might negatively impact human health. Students of all ages will be supported by this research and gain important mathematical and computational training.
This research will bridge evolutionary theory for social behavior with population genomics by creating new mathematical and computational tools that specifically address the role of genetic linkage, recombination, and epistasis in the evolution of complex social traits. These tools will include: (i) new population genetic methods and simulation tools for evaluating the role of reduced recombination in enhancing the evolution of cooperation; this could be a precursor to the evolution of "super genes" found in a number of social species; (ii) new methods for studying the coevolution of multiple traits and recombination itself, which will allow the study of the long-term evolution of supergenes; and (iii) new simulation approaches for investigating how gene regulatory interactions evolve when those genes underlie social traits, which will allow a better understanding of how social behavior affects the evolution of gene networks. High school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and a postdoctoral fellow will benefit from this research.
This award was co-funded by Evolutionary Processes in the Division of Environmental Biology, Behavioral Systems in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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