Effects of Stress and Adrenal Functioning on Cognition & Integrating Functions and Mechanisms of Kin Recognition: Are there parallels between inbreeding avoidance and nepotism

压力和肾上腺功能对认知的影响

• 批准号: 0517137
• 负责人: Jill Mateo
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0517137&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Effects; Stress; Adrenal; Functioning; Cognition

Many species, including humans, can discriminate among individuals according to genetic relatedness. Yet how this kin recognition is accomplished remains largely unexplored. Belding's ground squirrels, Spermophilus beldingi, are group-living squirrels that exhibit many forms of nepotism (preferential treatment of relatives), including cooperative territory defense and predator avoidance, which require the ability to identify relatives. The PI's previous NSF-supported research showed that S. beldingi produce at least six individually distinct odors which can be used for social recognition, as well as several odors that vary with relatedness. The proposed research seeks to demonstrate for the first time a direct, causal association between odors, recognition mechanisms and preferential treatment of relatives. These studies will determine how this species uses odors for recognition, examine the limits of kin discrimination, and describe how kin-recognition abilities facilitate inbreeding avoidance. The ability of animals to use different recognition mechanisms in different contexts would be favored in unpredictable social environments; thus this research will test the hypothesis that if S. beldingi lose all memories of kin during hibernation they must later rely on their own odors to help them recognize their kin in the spring. Theory also predicts that animals will avoid mating with close kin; these studies will therefore determine whether kin-recognition abilities also function in mate choice, using observational and genetic techniques. They will test whether the recognition abilities used to treat particular kin classes favorably are the same as those used to avoid close inbreeding. This research program is among the first to examine if particular odors have numerous, overlapping functions and whether there are commonalities between the mechanisms of recognition in multiple contexts. Given the importance of social relationships for understanding speciation, population dynamics, mating systems and reproductive success, the proposed research offers a unique opportunity to integrate both mechanistic and functional levels of analysis for an understanding of kin recognition in both mating and nepotistic contexts. Recognition abilities can either promote or limit adaptive responses to kin, and the combined field and laboratory components of this research will facilitate exploration of these outcomes. The results of the proposed research can be applied to studies of social recognition in a variety of taxonomic groups, and can also be applied to captive breeding and re-introduction programs, particularly if social recognition influences the formation and stability of social groups or their mating success. This project will support the interdisciplinary training of a postdoctoral scholar and, indirectly, 2-3 graduate students from several programs on the University of Chicago campus. Students will be trained in theory and concepts as well as field and experimental techniques, integrating proximate and ultimate approaches to behavior, ecology and evolution. Each year of the award will also support participation of 4-5 undergraduate field assistants, giving them an opportunity to experience field biology regardless of income or prior experience. Historically, assistantships have been offered to females and ethnic minorities, as both groups tend to be discouraged from fieldwork. The award will also be used to promote further development of a multi-user molecular genetics facility, as well as to produce lectures and lay articles for the local communities near the field site.

许多物种，包括人类，可以根据遗传相关性来区分个体。 然而，这种亲属识别是如何实现的，在很大程度上还没有被探索。 贝尔丁黄鼠（Spermophilus beldingi）是一种群居松鼠，表现出多种形式的裙带关系（优先对待亲属），包括合作领土防御和捕食者回避，这需要识别亲属的能力。 PI先前由NSF支持的研究表明，S。贝尔丁吉人产生至少六种可用于社会识别的单独不同的气味，以及几种根据相关性而变化的气味。这项拟议中的研究旨在首次证明气味、识别机制和亲属优惠待遇之间的直接因果关系。这些研究将确定该物种如何使用气味进行识别，检查亲属歧视的限制，并描述亲属识别能力如何促进避免近亲繁殖。 动物在不同的环境中使用不同的识别机制的能力在不可预测的社会环境中会受到青睐，因此这项研究将测试假设，如果S。贝尔丁基在冬眠期间失去了所有关于亲人的记忆，它们必须依靠自己的气味来帮助它们在春天认出自己的亲人。理论还预测，动物会避免与近亲交配;因此，这些研究将使用观察和遗传技术来确定亲属识别能力是否也在配偶选择中起作用。他们将测试用于善待特定亲属类别的识别能力是否与用于避免近亲繁殖的识别能力相同。该研究项目是第一个研究特定气味是否具有众多重叠功能以及在多种背景下识别机制之间是否存在共性的项目。 考虑到社会关系对理解物种形成、种群动态、交配系统和生殖成功的重要性，拟议的研究提供了一个独特的机会，可以整合机械和功能层面的分析，以了解交配和裙带关系背景下的亲属识别。识别能力可以促进或限制对亲属的适应性反应，本研究的野外和实验室组成部分将有助于探索这些结果。拟议的研究结果可以应用于各种分类群体的社会认可的研究，也可以应用于圈养繁殖和重新引入计划，特别是如果社会认可影响社会群体的形成和稳定或他们的交配成功。 该项目将支持一名博士后学者的跨学科培训，并间接支持芝加哥大学校园内多个项目的2-3名研究生。学生将接受理论和概念以及实地和实验技术的培训，将行为，生态学和进化的近似和最终方法结合起来。该奖项每年还将支持4-5名本科生现场助理的参与，让他们有机会体验现场生物学，无论收入或以往经验如何。从历史上看，助学金一直提供给女性和少数民族，因为这两个群体往往不鼓励实地工作。该奖项还将用于促进多用户分子遗传学设施的进一步发展，以及为现场附近的当地社区制作讲座和非专业文章。