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

动物可以从生活在社会群体中受益，原因有很多。例如，生活在一个群体中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，我们对有助于社会优势的生理机制知之甚少。本计画将针对这一缺陷，评估压力荷尔蒙、免疫功能、行为、存活与亲缘关系之间的关系。地松鼠。具体来说，该项目将测试生活在亲属或非亲属附近如何影响应激激素和免疫功能，以及应激激素增加如何改变捕食风险。将对野生松鼠进行圈养实验，并通过实验室检测来测量遗传相关性、激素水平和免疫功能。据预测，与亲属生活在一起的个体将表现出减少的应激激素，增加的免疫功能，并将感知到减少的捕食风险。据预测，实验增加应激激素水平的个体将感知到更大的捕食风险。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。这与包括人类在内的所有社会性脊椎动物有关，因为它们都有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推广历史。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教授城市芝加哥青年有关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.