9605091 Whitfield This project will support travel to Australia by Professor James Whitfield, Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, and his Post Doctoral Research Assistant, Dr. Patrick Mardulyn, to work with Dr. Andrew Austin of the Department of Crop Protection, Waite Institute, University of Adelaide. During their visits they will coordinate research and analyze morphological and DNA sequence data for a phylogenetic study of a group of parasitoid wasps. The results will be useful in studies of evolution of parasitism in the wasps and in ongoing research on the co-phylogeny of polydnaviruses and parasitoid wasps. The new classification will be invaluable to a large community of biologists interested in naturally-occurring and human-manipulated management of pest insects and to an additional community of scientists engaged in biodiversity surveys.
