Coevolution of Genes and Animal Cultures

项目名称：基因与动物文化的共同进化。该项目将研究鸟类鸣叫这一文化传播特征对动物种群遗传结构的影响。鸣禽在出生后的头几个月里通过模仿成年鸟的叫声来学习鸣叫。学习歌曲往往会导致地区方言的形成，就像人类说话一样，这也是在生命的早期学习的。有人提出，如果雄性和雌性都学习自己的歌曲，然后根据歌曲选择配偶，那么方言之间的基因流动将受到限制。尼尔森和帕克将研究北美西北海岸普吉特湾白冠麻雀的歌唱方言。一系列的歌曲回放实验将用于定义对鸟类有感知意义的方言边界。然后，研究人员将使用从鸟类微小血液样本中提取的遗传标记来比较方言之间的遗传变异。基因型数据也将用于跟踪鸟类相对于方言边界的分布。由于歌曲方言是少数几个已知的动物长期文化传播传统的例子之一，它们为研究发声学习过程以及习得的发声（文化）如何影响动物种群的遗传结构提供了有用的模型系统。该项目将提供有关这些问题的基本信息，最终可能有助于理解人类的类似过程。

Animal Behavior ProgramNontechnical AbstractProposal #: 9816651PI: Nelson, Douglas A.Title: Coevolution of Genes and Animal CulturesThis project will examine the idea that a culturally transmitted trait, bird song, influences the genetic structure of animal populations. Song birds learn their songs in the first few months of life by imitating the songs of adult birds. Song learning often leads to the formation of regional dialects, much as in human speech, which is also learned early in life. It has been suggested that if both males and females learn their songs and then chose mates based on song, then gene flow between dialects will be restricted. Nelson and Parker will study the song dialects of the Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow alongThe northwest coast of North America. A series of song playback experiments will be used to define dialect boundaries that are perceptually meaningful to the birds. The researchers will then compare genetic variation between dialects using genetic markers produced from tiny blood samples taken from birds. The genotypic data will also be used to follow dispersal of birds relative to dialect boundaries. Since song dialects are one of the few examples of long-lasting culturally-transmitted traditions known in animals, they provide a useful model system for study of the vocal learning process, and how learned vocalizations (culture) may affect the genetic structure of animal populations. This project will provide basic information on these issues, which may ultimately prove useful in understanding similar processes in humans.