DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Proximate and ultimate benefits of group living in Belding's ground squirrels

动物可以受益于生活在社会群体中，原因有很多。例如，群居的个体可以分担寻找食物资源、观察捕食者和照顾后代的负担。然而，我们对促成社交优势的生理机制知之甚少。本项目将通过评估应激激素、免疫功能、行为、存活和亲缘关系来解决这一不足。具体地说，这个项目将测试生活在亲属或非亲属附近如何影响压力荷尔蒙和免疫功能，以及压力荷尔蒙增加如何改变捕食风险。圈养实验将用野生松鼠进行，并将通过实验室分析来测量遗传亲缘关系、激素水平和免疫功能。据预测，与亲人生活在一起的个体将表现出压力荷尔蒙减少，免疫功能增强，并将感知到减少的捕食风险。据预测，压力荷尔蒙水平在实验中升高的个体将感受到更大的捕食风险。这项研究将产生更广泛的影响，因为它将提高我们对生理学如何塑造社会效益的理解。这对包括人类在内的所有群居脊椎动物都是相关的，因为它们都共享调节应激反应的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴。此外，这个研究项目有很强的外展历史。两名本科生和两名现场助理将接受行为、生态和实验室技术方面的培训。此外，这项研究的结果将用于向芝加哥城市青年传授行为研究和科学方法。

Animals can benefit from living in social groups for many reasons. For example, individuals living in a group can share the burden of finding food resources, watching for predators and caring for offspring. However, we know very little about the physiological mechanisms that contribute to social advantages. This project will address this deficiency by evaluating the relationships among stress hormones, immune function, behavior, survival and kinship in Belding?s ground squirrels. Specifically, this project will test how living near kin or non-kin affects stress hormones and immune function as well as how increased stress hormones change predation risk. Captive experiments will be conducted with wild-caught squirrels and will measure genetic relatedness, hormone levels and immune function with laboratory assays. It is predicted that individuals living with kin will exhibit reduced stress hormones, increased immune function and will perceive reduced predation risk. It is also predicted that individuals with experimentally increased stress hormone levels will perceive greater predation risk. This research will have broader impacts because it will improve our understanding of how physiology shapes social benefits. This is relevant to all social vertebrates, including humans, because they all share the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis that regulates stress responses. In addition, this research program has a strong history of outreach. Two undergraduates and two field assistants will be trained in behavioral, ecological and laboratory techniques. In addition, the results of this research will be used to teach urban Chicago youth about behavioral research and the scientific method.