The Scent of Familiarity: Chemosensory Self-Referencing as a Proximate Mechanism Mediating Mate Recognition in Insects

最近动物交配系统研究的一个主要焦点是理解为什么雌性通常与许多不同的雄性交配（一妻多夫制）。一个正在形成的共识是，雌性多雄交配是为了确保后代的遗传利益。如果这是真的，我们可能会认为雌性会放弃与以前的伴侣交配，转而选择新的雄性，事实上，雌性对新的交配伴侣的偏好已经在几个物种中得到了证明。但是雌性如何区分新的雄性和以前的交配伙伴呢？基于蟋蟀研究的初步结果表明，雌性通过在交配过程中用自己的气味“标记”雄性来做到这一点。当一只雌性后来遇到一个以前的交配伙伴时，她只需要比较一下自己和雄性的气味。如果她发现雄性已经被注入了她自己的化学特征，她可以避免与该雄性交配，而选择一个新的交配伙伴。这种被称为“腋窝”效应的机制可能为雌性提供了一种简单但可靠的方法来识别与它们交配的个体，而不需要任何特殊的认知能力。这种简单的自我参照可能是一种相当常见的机制，通过这种机制，各种动物交配系统中的雌性增加了交配伴侣的多样性，从而最大限度地提高了一妻多夫制的遗传优势。NSF的支持将用于启动对来自遗传近交系的女性的测量，以表征表皮碳氢化合物的遗传变异，这种化学物质是自我识别中使用的气味的最可能来源。如果雌性依靠表皮的碳氢化合物来识别以前的配偶，我们可以预期不同的雌性会表达不同的化学特征。这是实现母提案中概述的目标的关键第一步，因为表皮碳氢化合物分布的遗传差异是拟议机制的关键，拟议研究的更广泛影响包括促进几名本科生和研究生的专业成长和发展的机会，并将有助于纠正目前女性在科学领域代表性不足的问题。有两个研究实验室的原则，一个健全的本科教育科学只能通过本科生直接参与研究来承诺。很大一部分本科生已经参与了教师的研究项目，在他们的培训的某个时候，研究生被强烈鼓励传播他们的工作成果，无论是在专业会议和外行公众。例如，除了定期参加国家/国际会议和在著名期刊上发表文章外，研究生和两位导师还积极参与旨在加强小学教师科学培训和指导女高中生的方案。总的来说，这些活动将在本研究项目期间继续进行并扩大。

A major focus of recent work on animal mating systems has been to understand why females typically mate with many different males (polyandry). An emerging consensus is that females mate polyandrously to secure genetic benefits for their young. If this is true, we might expect females to forego mating with previous partners in favor of novel males, and indeed, a female preference for novel mating partners has been demonstrated in several species. But how do females distinguish among novel males and previous mating partners? Preliminary results based on cricket research suggest that females do so by "tagging" males with their own odors during mating. When a female encounters a former mating partner later on, she need only compare her own scent with that of the male. If she finds that the male has been imbued with her own chemical signature, she can avoid mating with that male in favour of a novel mating partner. This mechanism, known as the "armpit" effect, may provide females with a simple, but reliable means of identifying individuals with whom they have mated without requiring any special cognitive ability. This type of simple self-referencing could be a fairly common mechanism by which females across a broad range of animal mating systems increase the diversity of their mating partners, and thereby maximize the genetic benefits of polyandry. NSF support will be used to initiate measurements of females from genetically inbred lines to characterize genetic variation in cuticular hydrocarbons, the chemicals that are the most likely source of the odors used in self-recognition. If females rely on cuticular hydrocarbons to recognize previous mates, we would expect different females to express different chemical signatures. This represents a critical first step towards achieving the aims outlined in the parent proposal because genetic differences in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles lies at the crux of the proposed mechanism.Broader impacts of the proposed research include opportunities to enhance the professional growth and development of several undergraduate and graduate students, and will help redress the current under-representation of women in science. There is a commitment in the two research labs to the principle that a sound undergraduate education in science can only come about through the direct involvement of undergraduates in research. A large proportion of undergraduates are already involved in faculty research projects at some point in their training, and graduate students are strongly encouraged to disseminate the results of their work, both at professional meetings and to the lay public. For example, in addition to regular participation at national/international meetings and publication in prestigious journals, graduate students and the two mentors have been active in programs designed to enhance elementary school teachers' training in science and to mentor female high school students. Overall these activities will be continued and expanded during the course of this research project.