The Evolution of Altered Behaviors in Parasitized Animals: ACockroach-Acanthocephalan Model

贾尼斯·摩尔博士请求支持一项由棘头虫寄生虫引起的宿主蟑螂物种行为变化的比较研究。先前的研究假设寄生虫诱导的行为改变可能会增加蠕虫向脊椎动物宿主传播的可能性，从而提高了行为改变的适应性意义的可能性。本项目将确定一种寄生虫对10种蟑螂的行为改变程度和种类，并研究亲缘关系密切的蟑螂对被寄生产生相似反应的程度。行为变化将相对于五种环境测试（基材的颜色和方向、庇护所的选择、活动水平和对气流的反应）进行测量。该项目对宿主-寄生虫共同进化的研究具有广泛的意义。如果行为变化与进化关系高度一致，那么寄生可以被视为群体进化中的一个值得注意的因素。如果进化的亲缘关系不能很好地预测它们，那么物种的反应似乎会更普遍，因此更直接地适应它们的生态环境。

Dr. Janice Moore requests support for a comparative study of behavioral changes in host cockroach species caused by acanthocephalan worm parasites. Previous studies have postulated that parasite-induced behavioral changes may increase the probability of transmission of the worms to vertebrate hosts, raising the possibility of adaptive significance of the behavioral changes. This project will establish the degree and kinds of behavioral changes induced in ten cockroach species by a single parasite species, and will investigate the extent to which closely-related cockroaches have similar responses to being parasitized. Behavioral changes will be measured relative to five environmental tests (substrate color and orientation, shelter choice, activity level, and responses to air currents). The project has wide implications for the study of host- parasite coevolution. If behavioral changes are highly coincident with evolutionary relationships, then parasitism can be viewed as a noteworthy factor in the evolution of the group. If they are not well-predicted by evolutionary relatedness, then species would appear to be more generalized in their responses, and therefore more directly adapted to their ecological circumstances.