Functions of Acoustic Signal Interactions

在许多种类的动物中，如果种群密度超过临界水平，相邻雄性的吸引雌性的信号之间会发生时间关系。当信号涉及到声音的使用时，这些关系表现为各种形式的同步和交替。格林菲尔德博士的研究将考察信号相互作用在几种不同的会唱歌的昆虫身上的适应功能，其中，这些昆虫表现出一系列同步和交替的形式。观察和实验将阐明四种假设中哪一种最能解释不同形式的信号相互作用。这些假设是：(1)相互作用增强了“物种识别”；即，相邻的雄性在歌唱时不会模糊雌性在向任何一只雄性移动之前必须听到的特定物种的声音；(2)相互作用减少了天敌的攻击，天敌通过聆听猎物吸引雌性的声音来寻找猎物；(3)互动是一群性爱广告的雄性相互竞争以吸引雌性到群体附近的一种方式；(4)互动是性选择的副产品，在这种情况下，个体雄性对他们的声音信号进行计时，以便能够最强烈地吸引雌性，同时混淆邻近雄性的声音。这一研究项目的结果可能会揭示性别选择的微妙方面，在专注于女性如何在孤立的男性中进行选择的研究中，或者在没有测量和控制时间信号相互作用的研究中，这些方面仍然没有被发现。由于一些声学昆虫是农业害虫，有关信号相互作用在雌性吸引中的作用的信息可能与某些害虫的有效控制和监测策略有关。

In many species of animals, temporal relationships occur between the female-attracting signals of adjacent males if population densities exceed critical levels. When signaling involves the use of sound, these relationships appear as various formats of synchrony and alternation. Dr. Greenfield's research will examine the adaptive functions of signal interactions in several different singing insects that, among them, exhibit a range of synchronous and alternating formats. Observations and experiments will elucidate which of four hypotheses best accounts for the various formats of signal interactions. The hypotheses are that (1) interactions enhance "species recognition"; i.e., neighboring males time their songs so as not to obscure species-specific sounds that females must hear before moving toward any one male; (2) interactions reduce attacks by natural enemies that find their prey by listening to the prey's female-attracting sounds; (3) interactions represent a means by which groups of sexually advertising males compete with one another to attract females to the group's vicinity; (4) interactions represent a by-product of sexual selection, wherein individual males time their sound signals so that they can most strongly attract females and, at the same time, obfuscate the sounds of neighboring males. The results of this research project may reveal subtle aspects of sexual selection that would remain undetected in studies focusing on how females choose among isolated males or in studies that do not measure and control temporal signal interactions. Because some acoustic insects are agricultural pests, information on the roles of signal interactions in female attraction may be pertinent to effective control and monitoring strategies for certain pest species.