Microhabitat Selection and Morphological Constraint in the Insect Visual System

在许多动物中，几乎每一项重要的任务，无论是运动、交流、进食还是交配，都是由视觉信息的可用性决定的。感觉驱动理论预测，感觉信号、感觉受体和行为将共同适应，使动物能够在变化或具有挑战性的光环境中看得清楚。然而，这一理论的两个重要方面尚未得到充分探讨：自然环境中实际光线变化的影响（大多数研究只考虑总平均值），以及动物通过选择栖息地内最佳位置和角度来改善其视野的能力。此外，还需要进一步研究如何综合形态学、行为学和生态学的复杂相互作用来维持视觉性能。在本研究中，夏威夷巨角豆豆蝇将被用于研究昆虫复眼视觉系统中的约束和权衡，以确定视觉性能可以最大化的替代设计，并扩展当前感觉系统进化模型的预测能力。感官系统的研究将通过：-探索与个体相关的尺度的栖息地光；-研究生境光照差异大的影响；-探索信号发送者和接收者的行为和形态的相互作用；-测量现场以及受控实验室条件下的实际性能；-探索缩放的影响（眼睛大小随体型增加而变化）；-理解眼睛的形态整合以及眼睛的区域差异；综合形态、生态、行为和性能之间复杂的相互作用。此外，这项工作将涉及本科生和研究生，将有助于保护这种受威胁的夏威夷特有昆虫群体，并有助于人工视觉感觉系统的发展。

In many animals, nearly every important task, whether it be locomotion, communication, feeding, or mating, is governed by the availability of visual information. The theory of sensory drive predicts that sensory signals, sensory receptors and behaviors will adapt jointly to enable animals to see well, despite variable or challenging light environments. Yet, two important aspects of this theory are under-explored: the effect of actual light variation in natural environments (most studies only consider gross averages), and the ability of animals to improve what they view by choosing the best locations and angles within the habitat. Furthermore, more research is needed on synthesizing the complex interactions of morphology, behavior, and ecology to maintain visual performance. In this study anecologically diverse, yet uniquely easy to study, group of Hawaiian Megalagrion damselflies will be used to investigate constraints and trade-offs in the insect compound eye visual system, to identify alternative designs by which visual performance can be maximized, and to expand the predictive power of current models of sensory system evolution. The study of sensory systems will be advanced by: -exploring habitat light at scales relevant to the individual; -studying the effects of large differences in habitat light; -exploring the interaction of behavior and morphology in both signalers and receivers;-measuring actual performance in the field as well as under controlled laboratory conditions;-exploring the effects of scaling (variation in eye size with increasing body size); -understanding morphological integration in the eye as well as regional variations across the eye; and -synthesizing the complex interactions between morphology, ecology, behavior, and performance. Furthermore, this work will involve undergraduate and graduate students and will contribute to conservation efforts for this threatened endemic Hawaiian insect group, and contribute to the development of artificial visual sensory systems.