Workshop: Integrating Molecular Mechanisms and Quantitative Genetics in Order to Understand Consistent Individual Differences in Behavior; Urbana, IL; Summer, 2016

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

Within the study of animal behavior questions remain concerning why population variation in behaviors exist, why individuals sometimes show consistent behavior across time while at other times they do not, and last why we see certain behaviors occurring together within individuals, or the expression of animal personalities. Behavior is controlled by genes and there are a number of ways in which researchers can ask questions about behavior and the genes that control their expression. However some of our most valuable investigative techniques, and the data they produce, are not easily integrated. This is a significant missing piece to our full understanding of how genes control behaviors. Here a workshop will bring together researchers from a wide variety of areas within behavior and genetics to address this missing integration to determine how data can be brought together and develop training plans and recommendations for current and future researchers in the area of genetics and behavior. Outcomes from this workshop will be broadly disseminated to the scientific community through publications and are of benefit not only to the behavioral sciences but to studies of ecology, evolution, neuroscience, and physiology - including human health.