CAREER: Beaks, Song, and Speciation in Darwin's Finches

职业：达尔文的雀类的喙、歌和物种形成厄瓜多尔加拉帕戈斯群岛上的杰弗里·波多斯（Jeffrey Podos）发现的达尔文的雀类是适应性辐射的一个典型例子，其中一个祖先物种已经多样化为多个后代物种。 这些鸟类已经进化出一系列令人印象深刻的喙的形式和功能的专业化，根据他们已经占据的不同的喂养壁龛。这项研究建立在最近发现的基础上，即喙的进化多样性导致了雀类声音交配信号的声学结构的偶然变化。 该研究的更大目标是了解适应性进化和交配信号分歧如何对物种多样性做出贡献。该研究在每年的实地考察中进行。在多个现场的鸟类密集采样允许文件之间的关系喂养生态，喙的形式和功能，声乐行为，和择偶模式。 雀咬性能测量使用便携式力传感器和高速视频将文件喙运动过程中的歌曲生产和可能的权衡。 歌曲播放实验将描述声音变化对歌曲功能和生殖隔离的影响。 该项目还包括教学、专业培训和外联活动。 一个“实时”的网站将开发一个本科非专业课程，以记录实地研究和促进学生和研究人员之间的互动;这项研究将是国家中心的K-12学生和教师的科学案例研究教学的一部分;新的实验室练习本科专业和研究生研讨会课程也将是这个项目的一个组成部分。

CAREER: Beaks, Song, and Speciation in Darwin's FinchesJeffrey Podos Darwin's finches of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, are a classic example of adaptive radiation, in which a single ancestral species has diversified into multiple descendant species. These birds have evolved an impressive array of specializations in beak form and function, in accordance with the diverse feeding niches they have come to occupy. The study builds on the recent discovery that the evolutionary diversification of beaks has led to incidental changes in the acoustic structure of finch vocal mating signals. The larger goal of the research is to understand how adaptive evolution and mating signal divergence contributes to species diversity.The research is conducted during annual field expeditions. Intensive sampling of birds at multiple field sites allows documentation of relationships between feeding ecology, beak form and function, vocal behavior, and patterns of mate selection. Finch bite performance is measured using portable force transducers and high-speed video will document beak movements during song production and possible tradeoffs. Song playback experiments will characterize the influence of acoustic variation on song function and reproductive isolation. The project also includes instruction, professional training, and outreach activities. A "real-time" web site will be developed for an undergraduate non-majors course to document field research and foster interactions between students and researchers; the study will be part of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science for K-12 students and teachers; new laboratory exercises for undergraduate majors and a graduate seminar course will also be an integral part of this project.