Behavioral Diversity and Ontogeny

哺乳动物的化学感觉知之甚少， 尤其是在人类身上，但它们越来越多地与 喂养，社会，情感和性行为，甚至在 这些系统的紊乱。 然而，很难理清 遗传、发育和经验因素 化学感觉在这些行为中的作用。 所有 在脊椎动物中，蛇最依赖化学感官 在他们行为的各个阶段。 因为蛇是独立的 在出生时，这三种因素是很容易研究的。 在这个研究项目中，Burghardt博士将研究 基因和饮食经验的敏感性， 对食物线索和食物偏好的反应， 束带蛇和它们的母亲 幼蛇将接受测试 在新生儿和出生后， 在特定的饮食中长大 他们处理和摄取 气味所代表的食物也将在 在饮食体验之后。 本研究应提出的问题 答案包括是否对正常猎物的敏感性 气味是可遗传的，无论是否能够提高 喂养经验的表现是可遗传的， 感知能力和运动能力之间存在着联系， 喂养，以及窝仔之间的变异性是否 大于窝内。 这些问题的答案， 来自同一野生种群的动物应设定较低的限制， 动物行为变异的预期范围 更复杂但不太依赖于 化学感官

The chemical senses are little understood in mammals and especially in humans, yet they are increasingly implicated in feeding, social, emotional, and sexual behavior, and even in disorders of these systems. Yet it is hard to disentangle the genetic, developmental, and experiential factors underlying the role of the chemical senses in these behaviors. Of all the amniote vertebrates, snakes rely on the chemical senses the most in all phases of their behavior. Because snakes are independent at birth, the three kinds of factors can be readily studied. In this research project, Dr. Burghardt will investigate the role of genetics and dietary experience in the sensitivity of responses to food cues and food preferences, using litters of garter snakes and their mothers. Young snakes will be tested with food odors of various concentrations as newborns and after being raised on a given diet. Their ability to handle and ingest the food represented by the odors will also be documented before and after the dietary experience. Questions this research should answer include whether or not the sensitivity to normal prey odors is heritable, whether or not the ability to improve performance with feeding experience is heritable, whether or not there is a relationship between perceptual and motor abilities in feeding, and whether or not the variability among litters is greater than that within litters. Answers to these questions in animals from the same wild population should set lower limits to the expected range of variation in animals with behavioral repertoires that are more complex but less dependent on the chemical senses.