IRCEB: The Life History-Physiology Nexus--Constraints on the Evolutionary Diversification of Avian Life Histories

该项目汇集了一个由生态学家和生理学家组成的团队，研究在热带和温带环境中，生理机制如何限制亲代投资和自我维持的进化。生命史理论预测，长寿的生物体应该分配更多的资源来提高生存能力，从而以牺牲当前的繁殖为代价来保护未来的繁殖。许多生理和行为的预测反应是由内分泌和免疫系统机制控制的，这些机制建立了不相容的生理状态，限制了生物体的个体反应和群体的进化反应。这项合作研究将比较生活在热带和温带环境中的相关鸟类物种，以确定种群参数（成虫存活率和繁殖率）以及生理和行为反应。在该项目中纳入了一个高度发达的学生培训部分，测量将包括野外活动、代谢、健康状况和内分泌概况，以及实验室中的代谢、激素应激反应和免疫系统反应。对这些数据的分析和解释将把生活史属性的变化与系统发育关系、区域和栖息地、饮食和捕食者环境的生态措施联系起来。这个项目的独特之处在于，它将生态学、生理学和人口学的研究结合起来，重点研究生命史多样化的主要模式。

This project brings together a team of ecologists and physiologists to investigate how physiological mechanisms constrain the evolution of parental investment and self-maintenance in tropical and temperate environments. Life-history theory predicts that long-lived organisms should allocate more resources to enhancing survival, thereby protecting future reproduction, at the expense of current reproduction. Many of the predicted responses of physiology and behavior are controlled by endocrine and immune system mechanisms that establish incompatible physiological states and limit individual responses of organisms and evolved responses of populations. This collaborative study will compare related species of birds living in contrasting tropical and temperate environments to determine population parameters (adult survival and reproductive rate) and physiological and behavioral responses. Incorporating a strongly developed student-training component in the project, measurements will include activity, metabolism, health status, and endocrine profiles in the field, and metabolism, hormonal stress response, and immune system response in the laboratory. Analysis and interpretation of these data will relate variation in life-history attributes to phylogenetic relationship, region, and ecological measures of habitat, diet, and predator environment. This project is unique in that it integrates studies in ecology, physiology, and demography to focus on major patterns of diversification of life histories.