9600364 Fisher The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty- four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions. This award will support a twenty-one month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Brian L. Fisher to work with Dr. Hamish G. Robertson at the South African Museum in Cape Town, South Africa. Funding for this project is being provided by the U.S.-South Africa Program. Dr. Fisher will perform a systematic review of three groups of endemic ants on Madagascar. Ants are well suited for analyzing historical patterns. Because the elevational and regional distributions of many ant species are restricted, they are ideal for determining patterns of endemism and vicariance. This study will provide important data on the subject species and on the historical biogeography of the region. ***
