The evolution of deafness: the causes and consequences of ear loss in frogs

这个奖项解决了感觉系统减少的进化，也就是说，限制动物的结构尺寸或复杂性或功能变化的减少？感知环境的能力。大多数陆生四足动物都有鼓室耳，可以将空气颗粒的外部振动转换为充满液体的内耳腔内的振动，内耳腔包含通过中耳结构的感觉末端器官。不同的青蛙和蟾蜍，然而，在独立的进化事件中，第二次失去了外耳和中耳，尽管无尾类动物一般倾向于使用声音信号进行促进繁殖的社会互动。该奖项支持旨在整合自然历史，听觉生理学，功能形态学和进化发展的国际合作，以详细说明进化转型的原因和后果。选择的学习系统是厄瓜多尔的Pristimantis。最初的旅行将提供机会，找到无耳Pristimantis青蛙的种群，描述无耳物种的基本自然历史，并收集标本进行初步的遗传和形态分析。目的是在今后的研究中扩大这一初步信息。这个多学科的国际团队将包括来自厄瓜多尔、丹麦和荷兰的科学家。该奖项将支持来自美国的两名女研究生前往厄瓜多尔，向他们介绍南美的实地考察以及合作关键人员的各种专业知识。此外，厄瓜多尔研究人员和学生将有一个独特的机会，通过教育讲习班学习听觉生理学。该项目的成果将通过在美国和厄瓜多尔的本科教学和讲座与更广泛的公众分享。最后，这项工作将有助于青蛙保护工作。

This award addresses the evolution of sensory system reductions, that is, the decreases in structural size or complexity or functional changes that limit an animal?s capacity to sense the environment. Most terrestrial tetrapods have tympanic ears that convert the external vibrations of air particles to vibrations within the fluid-filled inner ear cavity containing the sensory end organs via middle ear structures. Diverse frogs and toads, however, have secondarily lost the outer and middle ears in independent evolutionary events, despite the general tendency for anurans to use acoustic signals for the social interactions that facilitate reproduction. This award supports an international collaboration designed to integrate natural history, auditory physiology, functional morphology, and evolutionary development to detail the causes and consequences of evolutionary transitions. The study system chosen is Pristimantis in Ecuador. Initial trips will provide the opportunity to locate populations of earless Pristimantis frogs, describe basic natural history of the earless species, and collect specimens for preliminary genetic and morphological analyses. The intention is to expand on this preliminary information in future studies. The multi-disciplinary, international team will include scientists from Ecuador, Denmark, and The Netherlands. This award will support two female graduate students from the US in for trips to Ecuador, introducing them to fieldwork in South America and to the diverse expertise of the collaborating key individuals. Furthermore, Ecuadorian researchers and students would have a unique opportunity to learn about auditory physiology via an educational workshop. Results of this project are to be shared with the broader public via undergraduate teaching and lectures for the public in the US and in Ecuador. Finally this work will aid in frog conservation efforts.