DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Behavioral and neural mechanisms of altitudinal replacement in singing mice

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The proposed research will use Neotropical singing mice (genus Scotinomys) to explore how behavioral and neural mechanisms moderate competitive interactions between species and, in turn, limit species distributions. The objectives of the study are to 1) investigate how Alston's singing mouse (S. teguina) perceives and responds to the songs of a closely related and dominant species, the Chiriqui singing mouse (S. xerampelinus); and 2) to identify the neural substrates that contribute to between-species dominance interactions. The research involves both laboratory and field playback experiments in Costa Rican montane cloud forests where S. teguina is found alone (allopatric) or with S. xerampelinus (sympatric). The integrative nature of the study enables us to link changes in song perception at the neural level to changes in distribution at the geographic level. Examining the mechanisms and function of mammalian vocalization also presents exciting opportunities to identify convergent and divergent pathways of perception in birds and other vertebrate taxa. The research involves substantial outreach to elementary and middle schools in Costa Rica and Gainesville, FL. Lastly, the work will help forge international collaborations throughout Latin America.