Collaborative Research: Elucidating the interactive effects of sensory response and signal function on the evolution of signal diversity

现代动物学的一个基本挑战是理解为什么在某些情况下，在相对有限的地理区域内会形成并继续共存大量看起来相似的动物物种。本研究将探讨交流在促进蜥蜥群落物种边界中的作用。雄性蜥蜴利用一种视觉交流信号，它的喉咙上有一个彩色的风扇，叫做dewlap。每个物种的耳膜上都有不同的颜色和/或图案，这有助于保持物种多样性，使蜥蜴能够很容易地发现、识别和与自己物种的成员交配，避免与其他类似物种的杂交和不必要的竞争。垂肉吗?它的有效性在很大程度上取决于每个栖息地的光照条件，以及鹦鹉视觉系统的神经反应。这项研究将重点关注牙买加岛、伊斯帕尼奥拉岛和波多黎各岛上的蜥蜴群落。它将采用物理学、光学工程、神经科学、行为生物学、解剖学和计算机建模等技术来学习蜥蜴的视觉系统如何检测和区分不同物种的皮肤上的颜色和图案，以及栖息地光线的差异如何影响这些能力。该项目包括一个强有力的教育外展部分。高中生、本科生和研究生将积极参与研究的各个方面，并将作出特别努力，包括在科学领域代表性不足的群体。研究结果将通过流行文章、公开演讲和基于网络的模块传播给公众，让感兴趣的个人探索光的物理特性、视觉生理学和生态条件之间的相互作用。通过解释有效交流在维持物种间繁殖界限方面的作用，该项目将为旨在通过生境保护和重建来保护生物多样性的保护工作提供至关重要的信息。

A fundamental challenge of modern Zoology is to understand why, in some cases, large numbers of similar-appearing animal species have formed, and continue to coexist, in relatively limited geographical areas. This study will examine the role of communication in facilitating species boundaries in communities of Anolis lizards. Male Anolis lizards utilize a visual communication signal that consists of the display of a colorful throat fan called the dewlap. Each species has a different color and/or pattern on its dewlap that helps to maintain species diversity by allowing lizards to easily detect, recognize and mate with members of their own species, and avoid interbreeding and unnecessary competition with other similar species. The dewlap?s effectiveness depends strongly on light conditions in each habitat, and on the neural responses of the Anolis visual system. This study will focus on lizard communities on the islands of Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. It will employ techniques from physics, optical engineering, neuroscience, behavioral biology, anatomy, and computer modeling to learn how lizard visual systems detect and discriminate between the colors and patterns found on the dewlaps of different species, and how differences in habitat light influence these capabilities. This project includes a strong educational outreach component. High school, undergraduate and graduate students will actively participate in all aspects of the research and a special effort will be made to include groups underrepresented in sciences. Findings will be communicated to the public via popular articles, public presentations, and web-based modules that allow interested individuals to explore the interactions between the physical properties of light, visual physiology, and ecological conditions. By explaining the role of effective communication in the maintenance of reproductive boundaries between species, the project will provide information that is critical for conservation efforts aimed at preserving biological diversity through habitat preservation and reconstruction.