Development of Signaler and Receiver Phenotypes

信号器和接收器表型的发展

• 批准号: 0542097
• 负责人: David Westneat
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-15 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0542097&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Signaler; Receiver; Phenotypes

Communication occurs in many animals, and often involves physical traits that vary among individuals. Such signals affect social interactions in a variety of contexts, but the natural forces shaping the use of signals are not understood. Many aspects of communication, such as providing false information, could be better understood if more was known about the developmental processes involved. Developmental events affect the nature of the signal, and may also influence how others perceive it and respond. For signals, the developmental process could either depend on resources or be socially influenced. This project will test these two mechanisms of development in a bird, the house sparrow, which has a conspicuous signal of competitive ability. The possibility that plumage signals are sensitive to resources will be tested by systematically manipulating diet during molt. Components of the diet, such as particular amino acids or nutrients, will be adjusted independently of each other. A second hypothesis, that social experience of particular types and with partners of particular characteristics influence the development of the signal, will also be tested. In addition, variation in how individuals respond to the signals of others will be measured. The developmental processes that could influence such variation will be investigated by manipulating early social experience and measuring its effects on later responses to the plumage of novel opponents. The results will be important at several levels. First, they will constitute one of the more thorough studies of the possible condition-dependence of a plumage signal, will be the first to test directly that social experience influences the development of signals, and will assess the novel idea that receiver responses could also be sensitive to social experience. The study will integrate functional and developmental approaches in an attempt to devise a more complete ecological theory of communication and to expand understanding of how phenotypic variation can arise. The proposed activities also have broader impact. The project will advance discovery by integrating across levels of biological organization in ways that have potential effects on several related fields of biology. It will also stimulate a broad program of research training. It will directly support a post-doctoral scholar and at least one graduate student. The proposed activities will also be integrated into broader programs fostering collaborations with faculty and students at primarily undergraduate institutions (e.g., through the KyNSF-EPSCoR and KyNCRR-BRIN programs). Other students (at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school level) will benefit from the research opportunities created by this project. These students will acquire training in all stages of doing research, from devising ideas, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting the results to a wider audience. The project activities will also contribute to labs associated with regular undergraduate courses in the curriculum and provide material for lectures in mid-level classes illustrating the processes involved in behavioral research. Information generated by the project will be disseminated in traditional ways (journal articles, attendance at meetings by all participants), via the web, and through contacts in local schools and organizations. In this way the new knowledge and the training opportunities stimulated by the project will have the widest possible impact.

交流发生在许多动物中，并且通常涉及个体之间不同的身体特征。这些信号在各种情况下影响社会互动，但塑造信号使用的自然力量还不清楚。如果更多地了解所涉及的发展过程，就可以更好地理解交流的许多方面，例如提供虚假信息。发展事件影响信号的性质，也可能影响其他人如何感知和回应。 对于信号，发展过程可能取决于资源，也可能受到社会影响。这个项目将在一种鸟--家雀中测试这两种发育机制，家雀具有明显的竞争能力信号。羽毛信号对资源敏感的可能性将通过在蜕皮期间系统地操纵饮食来测试。饮食的成分，如特定的氨基酸或营养素，将相互独立地进行调整。第二个假设，即社会经验的特定类型和合作伙伴的特定特征的影响发展的信号，也将进行测试。此外，还将测量个体对他人信号的反应差异。通过操纵早期的社会经验和测量其对后来对新对手羽毛的反应的影响，将调查可能影响这种变化的发展过程。结果将在几个层面上发挥重要作用。首先，它们将构成对羽毛信号可能的条件依赖性的更彻底的研究之一，将是第一个直接测试社会经验影响信号发展的研究，并将评估接收器反应也可能对社会经验敏感的新想法。这项研究将整合功能和发展的方法，试图设计一个更完整的生态理论的沟通，并扩大了解如何表型变异可以出现。拟议的活动也具有更广泛的影响。该项目将通过以对生物学多个相关领域具有潜在影响的方式整合生物组织的各个层面来推进发现。它还将促进广泛的研究培训方案。它将直接支持一名博士后学者和至少一名研究生。拟议的活动也将被纳入更广泛的计划，促进与教师和学生的合作，主要是本科院校（例如，通过KyNSF-EPSCoR和KyNCRR-BRIN程序）。其他学生（在研究生，本科和高中水平）将受益于该项目创造的研究机会。这些学生将在研究的各个阶段获得培训，从设计想法，收集和分析数据，并将结果呈现给更广泛的受众。项目活动还将有助于与课程中的常规本科课程相关的实验室，并为中级课程的讲座提供材料，说明行为研究所涉及的过程。该项目生成的信息将通过传统方式（期刊文章、所有参与者参加会议）、网络以及当地学校和组织的联系人进行传播。这样，该项目激发的新知识和培训机会将产生尽可能广泛的影响。