NSF Award
9973937
Tuttle <br/>DEB-9973937<br/><br/>This project will examine the maintenance in nature of two distinct plumage and behavioral forms of the white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis. One morph invests heavily in reproductive effort, while the other invests heavily in parental effort. The genetic basis of these forms is known. Finally, the species mates disassortatively (i.e. opposites form pairs) and this leads to both form persisting in the population. This study will investigate why the unusual mating system has been maintained in nature, by employing captive breeding, artificial insemination, and the development of molecular markers. The white-throated sparrow system may prove to be a classic vertebrate example of how variation in nature persists and it will provide a wealth of information that can be applied to studies of other systems.
