Neural Biases for Elaborate Male Traits

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The proposed research investigates the neural mechanisms of female preferences for elaborate male traits. In all major taxa of animals and operating through all sensory modalities, males have evolved elaborate signals that function in attracting females to mate. Typically, females demonstrate a strong preference for males of their own species and they demonstrate preferences for some males over others. Both types of preferences are typically mediated by a female's response to social signals produced by males. The proposed experiments will investigate the neural mechanisms that mediate female preferences for elaborate male traits using the tungara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) model system. The research will test the hypothesis that female preferences are mediated by a neural bias in the sensory system processing the signals produced by males. The tungara frog model system allows testing of this hypothesis by addressing the following questions: (1) Is the female preference for the mating calls of conspecific males over heterospecific males mediated by a bias in the auditory system? (2) Is the female preference for some types of mating calls over others mediated by a bias in the auditory system? (3) Finally, are these biases in the auditory system general features that are shared by other species that have similar preferences? A strength of the tungara frog model system is that it allows one to approach neurobiological studies with an evolutionary perspective. Thus, the research will greatly enhance the understanding of the neural substrate on which selection acts to shape the behavior of organisms. In addition, the project is expected to contribute substantially to the understanding of how complex biological sounds are represented by the auditory system. Broader Impacts: In addition to advancing scientific knowledge, the proposed research will have broader impacts in education and scientific training at multiple levels, including undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. The principal investigators have a commitment to extending scientific learning to young students in the K-12 grades through guest lectures at local schools. In addition, the proposed research supports under-represented groups in science by supporting women in science and by the inclusion of Latin American scientists-in-training at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Furthermore, the publications and lectures resulting from the proposed research will serve to foster an exchange between the fields of behavioral ecology and neuroscience, which, in turn, will increase interdisciplinary perspectives in undergraduate biology courses.