Dissertation Research: The links between cognitive ability and individual variation in parental behavior

论文研究：认知能力与父母行为个体差异之间的联系

基本信息

批准号：
1110440
负责人：
David Westneat
金额：
$ 1.49万
依托单位：
University of Kentucky Research Foundation
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2011
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2011-07-01 至 2013-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1110440&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissertation Research links between cognitive

项目摘要

Parenting behavior, an important trait in many organisms, exhibits a curious pattern - individual parents are often flexible in response to variable conditions (e.g., time of season, number and age of offspring, and the behavior of other caregivers), yet also exhibit consistently different levels of care. Individual differences in care could be due to differences in cognitive skill at finding food. This project will measure between-individual differences and within-individual adjustments in care using a wild population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus). A capstone experiment will provide subjects with an array of foraging tests allowing assessment of individual food-finding skills. The resulting data will test the idea that individuals who perform well on novel foraging tasks exhibit higher levels of care. The experiment would provide the first evidence from free-living animals that cognitive abilities impact individual variation in parental care. This would advance our understanding of diversity in parental behavior and the evolution of cognition in animal groups exhibiting care, including humans. The findings also may provide insight into the mechanisms leading to the success of some animals, especially the invasive house sparrow, at adapting to human-induced changes in habitat. Finally, this project will enhance the conceptual and empirical training of a talented young scientist. It will provide opportunities to mentor undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds; these students will experience the scientific method in a field setting, learn modern techniques in studying behavior, and gain expertise in statistical analysis.

育儿行为是许多生物体中的重要特征，表现出一种奇怪的模式 - 个人父母通常会响应可变条件（例如，季节的时间，后代的数量和年龄以及其他护理人员的行为）而灵活，但也表现出不同水平的护理。护理中的个体差异可能是由于寻找食物的认知技能差异。该项目将使用野生麻雀（Passer fordingus）来衡量个体之间的差异和个体内部的护理调整。顶峰实验将为受试者提供一系列觅食测试，以评估个人食物调查技能。最终的数据将测试以下想法：在新颖的觅食任务上表现良好的个人表现出更高的护理水平。该实验将提供自由活动动物的第一个证据，表明认知能力会影响父母护理中的个人差异。这将提高我们对父母行为多样性的理解，以及在包括人类在内的动物群体中认知的演变。这些发现还可以洞悉导致某些动物成功的机制，尤其是侵入性房屋麻雀，以适应人类诱发的栖息地变化。最后，该项目将增强一位才华横溢的年轻科学家的概念和经验培训。它将为指导来自不同背景的本科生指导；这些学生将在现场环境中体验科学方法，学习研究行为方面的现代技术，并在统计分析方面获得专业知识。