RIG: Cryptic Speciation in Jumping Spiders: Multimodal Courtship Divergence in Jumping Spiders of the Sonoran Desert 'Sky Islands'

RIG：跳蛛的隐秘物种形成：索诺兰沙漠“天空群岛”跳蛛的多模式求爱分歧

• 批准号: 1021385
• 负责人: Damian Elias
• 金额: $ 18万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1021385&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RIG; Cryptic; Speciation; Jumping; Spiders

Cataloging the diversity of life and the processes that drive and maintain this diversity is one of the most important goals facing scientists today. One important hotspot of diversity is the "sky-islands" of southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico. The so-called sky islands are named for their resemblance to islands as woodlands at the tops of mountain ranges are separated by desert "oceans". On different sky-islands, groups of animals have diversified into a variety of forms and this has served as a "natural experiment" to investigate species formation. The research proposal uses an innovative blend of techniques from behavioral and engineering sciences to look at the processes which lead to species diversification on the sky-islands, specifically in two groups of jumping spiders. Jumping spiders are one of the most diverse animal groups and their behavior has received attention as males use courtship "song and dances" to attract mates. The research proposal will look at courtship behavior and in particular (1) how behavior has diverged on the different sky-islands, (2) how females make decisions based on male behavior on the different sky-islands, and (3) how the environment influences the development of male and female mating behavior. Because differences in courtship behavior often define species, the proposal will be important to cataloging unknown diversity ("cryptic speciation") in one of the most important American habitats. In addition, by investigating a system where the process of species diversification is currently ongoing, the proposal will allow the researchers to test hypotheses on what drives the maintenance of species and how variation in the environment leads to the diversity of forms found in nature. Results from the proposal will be used to generate online educational materials which will freely available and used as a resource for educators interested in learning about behavior, ecology, animal senses, and conservation.

对生命的多样性以及驱动和维持这种多样性的过程进行编目是当今科学家面临的最重要的目标之一。亚利桑那州东南部和墨西哥北方的“天空岛”是物种多样性的一个重要热点。 所谓的“天空岛”因其与岛屿的相似而得名，因为山脉顶端的林地被沙漠“海洋”隔开。 在不同的天空岛屿上，动物群体已经分化成各种各样的形式，这成为研究物种形成的“自然实验”。 该研究计划使用了行为科学和工程科学的创新技术，以研究导致天空岛屿物种多样化的过程，特别是两组跳蛛。 跳蛛是最多样化的动物群体之一，它们的行为受到关注，因为雄性蜘蛛使用求爱“歌舞”来吸引配偶。 该研究计划将着眼于求偶行为，特别是（1）行为如何在不同的天空岛屿上分化，（2）女性如何根据不同天空岛屿上的男性行为做出决定，以及（3）环境如何影响男性和女性交配行为的发展。 由于求偶行为的差异通常会定义物种，因此该提案对于在美国最重要的栖息地之一编目未知的多样性（“神秘物种形成”）非常重要。 此外，通过调查一个目前正在进行物种多样化过程的系统，该提案将使研究人员能够测试关于是什么驱动物种的维持以及环境变化如何导致自然界中发现的形式多样性的假设。 该提案的结果将用于生成在线教育材料，这些材料将免费提供，并作为有兴趣学习行为、生态学、动物感官和保护的教育工作者的资源。