Biodiversity studies address questions about the origin and maintenance of taxonomic, functional, and genetic diversity within appropriately chosen groups of animals and plants. This project focuses on the evolutionary history of a diverse group of mammals, the ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus, 42 species) and the prairie dogs (genus Cynomys, 4 species). Because they are active in the daytime, tend to live in groups , and are of considerable economic importance, these animals have been the subject of numerous behavioral and life-history studies and have been central to the development of kinship theory and optimal foraging theory for mammals. To place this knowledge in phylogenetic perspective, the investigators will collaborate with Mexican and Russian colleagues in collecting materials of all known species, for molecular analyses of DNA. A phylogeny or genealogical tree will be constructed based upon mutational differences among the species. %%% A phylogeny of this group of mammals will serve as a framework for testing theories about the origin and maintenance of sociality in mammals and of other behavioral and life-history traits. It will also facilitate measurement of genetic variation within particular lineages. A phylogenetic framework will make possible an evaluation of historical (heritable) factors and current ecological adaptations in molding behavior, life history, and social organization in mammals.
