Selection and Plasticity in Social Behavior and Signals

摘要摩尔9514063第二性征是影响个体生殖成功的性状。 这些特征，如复杂的结构，婚礼的颜色，求偶的歌曲，或性信息素，没有交配之外的功能。 它们往往是精心制作的，生产和维护成本可能很高。第二性征在成年后性成熟之前发育，通常是两性异形的。 精致的第二性征通常与男性有关，通常随年龄变化，受环境影响，并可能依赖于条件。 这些特征是性选择的结果：即它们对雄性-雄性竞争配偶的影响或它们对雌性交配偏好的影响。 本研究将确定数量遗传学和进化的雄性产生的性信息素的Nauphoeta cinerea和男性和女性的社会行为，显示在响应这种信息素。 这种性信号在男性成年后发展，在表达上受到性别的限制，并在发展后随着年龄和社会经验而变化。 此外，这种信号显然是性选择的结果;性选择的行为机制都受到这种信息素变化的影响。 女性歧视男性之间的基础上，这种信息素，并偏见的发展速度，他们的后代交配歧视。 男性之间的攻击性社会互动的结果也受到这种信息素的影响。 广泛的背景知识和经验，在研究这种信息素允许一个解决基本问题的影响，可变的环境，遗传学，和发展这种性信息素和相关行为。 私家侦探将决定这种信息素的发育和年龄相关的变化。 此外，他还将讨论在发育过程中所经历的外部环境如何塑造性选择信号和行为。最终，这将量化遗传变异影响对环境影响的反应的程度。这些结果将增加我们对社会信号的遗传学和进化的理解。 这些实验将提供有关性选择中涉及的行为和信号如何由可塑性介导的第一个信息。 此外，他们还将讨论基因型与环境（GXE）相互作用对性选择的重要性。

Abstract Moore 9514063 Secondary sexual characters are traits that influence the reproductive success of individuals. These traits, such as elaborate structures, nuptial colors, courtship songs, or sex pheromones, have no function outside of mating. They are often elaborate and may be costly to produce and maintain. Secondary sexual characters develop after adulthood prior to full sexual maturity and are often sexually dimorphic. Elaborate secondary sexual characters are most often associated with males, often change with age, influenced by the environment, and can be conditiondependent. These traits have evolved as a result of sexual selection: i.e. either their impact on male-male competition for mates or their influence on female mating preferences. This study will determine the quantitative genetics and evolution of the male-produced sex pheromone of Nauphoeta cinerea and the social behavior of males and females that is displayed in response to this pheromone. This sexual signal develops after males emerge to adulthood, is sex limited in expression, and changes with age and social experience after it has developed. Further, this signal has apparently evolved as a result of sexual selection; both of the behavioral mechanisms of sexual selection are influenced by variation in this pheromone. Females discriminate among males on the basis of this pheromone, and bias the developmental rates of their offspring by mating discriminatory. The outcome of aggressive social interactions among males is also influenced by this pheromone. Extensive background knowledge and experience in studying this pheromone allows one to address fundamental questions concerning the impacts of variable environments, genetics, and development of this sex pheromone and associated behaviors. The P.I. will determine developmental and age-related changes in this pheromone. In addition he will address how the external environment experienced during development shapes sexually-selected signals and behavior. Fi nally, this will quantify the extent that genetic variation impacts responses to environmental influences. These results will increase our understanding of the genetics and evolution of social signals. These experiments will provide the first information on how the behaviors and signals involved in sexual selection are mediated by plasticity. In addition, they will address the importance of genotype by environment (GxE) interactions for sexual selection.