9412813 MORIN This award will provide laboratory supplies for DNA sequencing to enhance the dissertation work of a PhD graduate student. The organisms being studied are cypridnid ostracodes, very small Crustacea which live in Caribbean waters and exhibit remarkable bioluminescent courtship displays that, like fireflies, are specific or distinctive for each species. Prior work using morphological information has helped to divulge relationships among some members of this interesting group but the relationships of other members remain to be resolved and the molecular data (DNA sequences from 3 mitochondrial genes) of this project should contribute new and useful information for this purpose. Once a phylogeny or pattern of relationships has been established, it can be utilized in testing hypotheses about the evolution of different components of the sequence of bioluminescent display behaviors. %%% Support for the training of graduate students in modern systematic methodologies is important for maintaining a workforce of scientists capable of addressing the questions and issues of biodiversity which are of increasing global concern. The results of this study can be used to elucidate patterns of courtship behavior that are important for maintaining reproductive isolation or the distinctness of species. ***
