RUI: Male Dimorphism in Visual Communication

[307056]对于研究视觉交流来说，盐蜘蛛是很重要的动物，因为许多种类的雄性蜘蛛颜色鲜艳，并且有用来识别性别和种类的装饰。虽然大多数动物物种只有一种雄性，但盐蜘蛛Maevia inclemens有两种不同的雄性形态，看起来好像它们应该属于不同的物种。这两种变种在求偶过程中也有明显不同的行为，但似乎都同样成功，这就提出了一个问题：雌性如何应对两个外表和行为截然不同的雄性？克拉克博士将调查雌性对配偶的选择，以确定一种雄性形态是否比另一种雄性形态具有生殖优势。其中一个变种有一个显眼的展示，这可能会吸引更远的雌性的注意。然而，这种优势可能会被鸟类、黄蜂或其他蜘蛛捕食的风险所抵消。克拉克博士将研究在不同距离进行的明显展示和隐蔽展示之间的权衡。交配选择实验将利用新的视频和电脑动画技术进行，允许实验者控制雄性的动作，与雌性的距离，以及自然的背景颜色。由于对这种不寻常的雄性形态和行为是如何进化的知之甚少，这些研究将有助于理解维持自然界中独特的雄性二态性的选择机制。此外，随着录象和电脑动画技术的不断发展，可以对视觉处理系统进行更详细的研究。这些技术允许以活体动物无法实现的方式操纵动物形态和行为，并将有助于未来更复杂的动物行为研究项目。

9307056 Clark Salticid spiders are important animals for studying visual communication because males of many species are brightly colored and have decorations that are used to identify sex and species. While most animal species have only one type of male, the salticid spider Maevia inclemens has two male morphs that are so different they look as if they should belong to different species. The morphs also have distinctly different behaviors during courtship, but both appear to be equally successful, which raises questions about how females deal with two males that look and behave very differently. Dr. Clark will investigate mate selection by females, to determine if one male morph has a reproductive advantage over the other male morph. One morph has a conspicuous display, which may attract female attention from greater distances. However, this advantage may be offset by the risk of predation from birds, wasps, or other spiders. Dr. Clark will examine the trade-offs of a conspicuous display versus a cryptic display performed at different distances. Mate-selection experiments will be conducted utilizing new video and computer- animation techniques, allowing the experimenter to control male movement, distance from the female, and natural background coloration. Since very little is known about how such unusual male morphologies and behaviors evolve, these studies will contribute to an understanding of the selection mechanisms maintaining a unique male dimorphism in nature. In addition, the continued development of the video and computer-animation techniques will allow more detailed studies to be conducted on visual processing systems. These techniques allow animal morphology and behavior to be manipulated in ways that are not possible with live animals, and will contribute to more sophisticated animal behavior research projects in the future.