Visual Signal Design, Perception and Mating Success in Bowerbirds

鸟类的视觉信号设计、感知和交配成功性选择可以导致雄性具有非常复杂的第二性特征，这在物种形成中可能是重要的，因为交配偏好推动了这一过程。大多数关于性选择的研究都集中在信号内容上，而不是设计上。与广播或电视传输类似，动物信号由载体(例如，颜色图案)或信号设计和内容(例如，广告对雌性或其后代与特定雄性交配的直接或遗传益处)组成。尽管只考虑信号含量或遗传学就可以对信号的进化做出非常笼统的预测，但这些模型不允许对信号的细节进行具体预测，也不预测载体应该如何进化。对于视觉信号(颜色模式)，对微生境、时间、天气、信号过程中的观看条件和眼睛特性的了解可以具体预测在特定条件下应该使用哪些颜色和模式。这种方法允许对动物信号进行特定的预测，而不考虑信号的内容。在大多数动物中，视觉信号者对其信号的外观几乎没有控制。在园丁鸟(Ptilonorhynchidae)中，雄鸟建造和装饰凉亭，在视觉上用来吸引配偶。凉亭是建造的，而不是固定的，这意味着视觉信号(鸟+凉亭)只受鸟类能找到的东西的限制，这使得在野外对自由动物进行信号实验操作的结果成为可能，从而测试关于自然种群中视觉对比度、知觉和适合度的假设。这个项目将研究鲍尔伯德视觉信号的设计，使用早期视觉处理的现有模型。实验将调查：(1)相对于昼夜光线、阴影和周围光线光谱的模式，弓的设计和位置是否使视觉对比度最大化；(2)与雀形目的鸟类视觉相关的物体的选择，以及雄性园丁鸟是否选择与雌性园丁鸟的视觉对比最大的物体和鸟的视觉信号；以及(3)鸟类感知的碗鸟视觉对比度是否成功地预测交配。为了理解视觉信号的功能、设计和演变，这些方法将被整合在一起。这项研究还将阐明颜色偏好基础的某些方面。这将是第一次对视觉信号的视觉对比度、微生境选择和功能进行完全集成的研究，并将为视觉信号的进化方向提供新的见解。

Visual Signal Design, Perception, and Mating Success in BowerbirdsJohn A. EndlerSexual Selection can result in males with remarkably complex secondary sexual traits, and may be important in speciation because mating preferences drives it. Most studies of sexual selection have concentrated on the signal content rather than the design. By analogy with radio or TV transmission, animal signals consist of a carrier (e.g. a color pattern) or signal design and the content (e.g. advertising direct or genetic benefits to the female or her offspring of mating with a particular male). Although very general predictions about the evolution of signals can be made considering only signal content or genetics these models do not allow specific predictions about the details of the signals, nor do they predict how the carrier should evolve. For visual signals (color patterns), a knowledge of microhabitat, time, weather, viewing conditions during signaling and eye properties allows specific predictions about which colors and patterns should be used under specific conditions. This approach allows specific predictions about animal signals, regardless of signal content.In most animals, the visual signaler has little or no control over the appearance of its signals. In bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchidae) males construct and decorate bowers, which are used visually to attract mate. The fact that the bower is constructed rather than fixed means that the visual signal (bird + bower) is constrained only by what the birds can find, and makes it possible to examine the consequences of experimental manipulation of the signals in unrestrained animals in the field, and thus test hypotheses about visual contrast, perception, and fitness in natural populations. This project will study the design of Bowerbird visual signals using current models of early visual processing. Experiments will investigate: (1) whether or not visual contrast is maximized by bower design and location relative to diurnal patterns of light, shade and ambient light spectra; (2) the choice of objects in relation to Passerine bird vision, and whether or not male bowerbirds select objects which maximize the visual contrast to female bowerbirds of the bower and bird visual signal; and (3) whether bower visual contrast perceived by the birds successfully predicts mating. These approaches will be integrated in order to understand the function, design and evolution of visual signals. The study will also illuminate some aspects of the basis for color preferences. This will be the first fully integrated study of visual contrast, microhabitat choice, and function of a visual signal and should provide new insights into the direction of evolution of visual signals.