Mechanisms of Color Production and Animal Visual Signals

主要研究者： 罗纳德湖Rutowski提案标题：颜色产生机制和动物颜色信号提案编号： 0316120动物使用化学色素和物理结构产生颜色信号。 预测所采用的特定机制会对它们如何在行为交互中使用信号产生影响。 这个三部分的项目研究这些后果在橙子硫，一种常见的北美蝴蝶。 在这个物种中，色素在雄鸟的上翅表面产生黄橙色和黑色的标记，而仅在雄鸟的上翅表面发现的结构变化产生彩虹色和高度定向的紫外线（UV）反射。 该项目的第一部分通过描述其物理特性来描述紫外线信号的性质和外观，然后分析相互作用的蝴蝶之间的空间关系，以查看信号传输是否得到优化。 第二部分探讨了有多少男性在自然界中的男性着色的结构和色素为基础的组成部分，并在何种程度上这种变化导致男性交配成功的变化和避免骚扰其他男性。 在第三部分，雄性将在不同的条件下饲养，看看环境对雄性的颜色有多大影响，因此雄性的颜色在多大程度上可以表明他的状况或质量。 这最后两个部分一起测试最近的建议，颜色生产的某些机制可能提供更多的信息比其他男性信号的质量为女性在择偶。 该项目为来自不同背景和专业发展水平的学生提供丰富的研究和培训经验，希望鼓励和促进他们追求科学事业。 研究结果将通过科学和大众媒体、网络材料和非营利自然历史组织的公开演示向广大受众传播。

PI: Ronald L. RutowskiProposal Title: Mechanisms of Color Production and Animal Color SignalsProposal No.: 0316120 Animals produce color signals using both chemical pigments and physical structures. The specific mechanism employed is predicted to have consequences for how they use the signals in behavioral interactions. This three-part project examines these consequences in the Orange Sulphur, a common North American butterfly. In this species, pigments produce the yellow-orange and black markings on the male=s upper wing surfaces while structural modifications found only on the male=s upper wing surfaces produce an iridescent and highly directional ultraviolet (UV) reflection. The first part of the project describes the nature and appearance the UV signal by describing its physical characteristics and then analyzes the spatial relationships between interacting butterflies to see if signal transmission is optimized. The second part examines how much males in nature vary in the structural- and pigment-based components of male coloration and the extent to which this variation leads to variation in male mating success and avoidance of harassment by other males. In the third part, males will be reared under different conditions to see how much the environment affects a male=s coloration and therefore the extent to which a male=s coloration may indicate his condition or quality. These last two parts together test recent suggestions that some mechanisms of color production might provide more information than others about the quality of male signalers for females in mate choice. This project provides rich research and training experiences for students from diverse backgrounds and levels of professional development in the hopes of encouraging and enabling their pursuit of careers in science. The results will be disseminated to a broad audience through the scientific and popular press, web-based materials, and public presentations for non-profit natural history organizations.