9321316 Johnson This study examines the history of the avian genus Piranga (tanagers) and its relatives using a variety of kinds of data including plumage patterns, protein electrophoresis, mitochondrial DNA, and morphology. These data will allow generation of phylogenetic (genealogical) hypotheses for this group, which will be used as a backdrop for study of plumage dimorphism (males and females have different plumage colors and patterns), seasonal migration, and vocalizations. %%% The study will demonstrate whether correlations exist between plumage dimorphism and various life history traits, and this information will be used to test hypotheses about the significance of plumage dimorphism in birds.
