Collaborative Research: RUI: Evaluating Form-Function-Fitness Relationships in Polyphenic Bluegill

合作研究：RUI：评估多酚翻车鱼的形式-功能-适应性关系

• 批准号: 1354469
• 负责人: Shannon Gerry
• 金额: $ 56.34万
• 依托单位: Fairfield University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1354469&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; RUI; Evaluating; Form

Locomotion and feeding are essential behaviors for the survival and reproductive fitness of most animals. However, little is understood about why some individuals within a population outperform others and are better suited to their habitat. Populations of bluegill sunfish often diverge into two different body forms based on their habitat: a deeper-bodied shallow water form or a streamlined deep water form. This variation creates an ideal system for investigating the relationships between form, function and adaptation to habitat. This project will integrate studies of behavior in the field, external and internal morphology and muscle physiology, energy metabolism, swimming performance, feeding mechanics and fitness measurements in order to quantify variation in swimming and feeding performance within a single population of bluegill from pelagic and littoral habitats. Results from this research will provide unprecedented insight into the complex interrelationships of body form, swimming and feeding performance and fitness in fish. Moreover, this research will provide an experimental and analytical framework that could be applied to any animal system. This proposal is a collaborative effort among three liberal arts institutions, therefore an important component of the project will be the mentoring of a postdoctoral researcher and the training of undergraduates, a high proportion of whom will continue their education in graduate or professional schools, increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences. The research will be implemented in an outreach program aimed to introduce basic concepts of biomechanics and physiology to underrepresented K-12 students at neighboring schools.

运动和进食是大多数动物生存和繁殖适应性的基本行为。然而，人们对为什么种群中的某些个体表现优于其他个体并且更适合其栖息地的原因知之甚少。翻车鱼种群通常根据其栖息地分为两种不同的体型：体型较深的浅水型或流线型的深水型。这种变化为研究形式、功能和栖息地适应之间的关系创造了一个理想的系统。该项目将整合野外行为、外部和内部形态以及肌肉生理学、能量代谢、游泳表现、摄食力学和健康测量的研究，以量化来自远洋和沿海栖息地的单个蓝鳃太阳种群的游泳和摄食表现的变化。这项研究的结果将为了解鱼类的身体形态、游泳和摄食性能以及健康之间复杂的相互关系提供前所未有的见解。此外，这项研究将提供一个可应用于任何动物系统的实验和分析框架。该提案是三个文科机构的合作成果，因此该项目的一个重要组成部分将是博士后研究员的指导和本科生的培训，其中很大一部分人将继续在研究生或专业学校接受教育，从而增加代表性不足的群体在科学领域的参与。该研究将在一项外展计划中实施，旨在向邻近学校代表性不足的 K-12 学生介绍生物力学和生理学的基本概念。