DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Consequences of Food Assessment and Cache Placement on Social Competition and Cache Pilfering in a Scatter-hoarding Tree Squirrel

论文研究：食物评估和缓存放置对分散囤积树松鼠社会竞争和缓存盗窃的影响

• 批准号: 1501892
• 负责人: Lucia Jacobs
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2017-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1501892&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Consequences; Food; Assessment

Many animals hoard their food, hiding food items in various locations in order to retrieve them at a later date, for example, when resources are scarce. Scatter-hoarding animals store each food item in a different location and often engage in protective behaviors that may prevent their food stores (caches) from being stolen. These behaviors include handling food items extensively before burying them, travelling away from competitors to bury food, and carefully covering caches. Scatter-hoarding fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) perform unique behaviors (head flicks, paw manipulations) that allow them to determine the weight and value of individual food items and protect their caches accordingly. By using Global Positioning System (GPS) and tracking technology, behavioral observations, and DNA testing, the researchers will explore how these food protection behaviors contribute to successful cache retrieval or prevent theft of caches by other squirrels. This study also will explore whether individuals are more or less likely to steal from their relatives. The proposed research will fill a gap in the animal behavior literature by advancing our understanding of how animals recover food they have buried, and illuminating whether scatter-hoarding animals provide for their offspring or close relatives by allowing theft of their caches. Studies of scatter-hoarding animals have yet to address key questions: do cache protection strategies deter theft by pilferers and help scatter-hoarding animals recover their caches? Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) perform unique assessment behaviors (head flicks, paw manipulations) that allow them to adjust investments in caches. The proposed studies will determine how a squirrel's assessment of food is related to its investment in a cache, and whether these behaviors reduce pilferage. This study will use GPS data and radio-telemetry/passive transponders to measure caching and pilfering behavior. They will also amplify and sequence established microsatellite loci to estimate genetic relatedness and incorporate relatedness into models of cache retrieval and pilferage. Food-storing animals engage in cache protection behaviors because theft is common. Previous studies have failed to examine the complex relationship between food assessment, cache protection, social context and the long-term fate of caches. Moreover, most studies utilize artificial caches made by humans or laboratory animals. This field study will use an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to examine the pilferage of caches made by free-ranging squirrels. This study also will examine the relationship between kin selection and pilferage tolerance, support for which would have major implications for our understanding of scatter-hoarding and social behavior. All data and analyses will be made available via published manuscripts, conference presentations, reports to the NSF and otherwise as suggested by NSF guidelines.

许多动物囤积食物，将食物藏在不同的地方，以便在以后的日期，例如在资源稀缺的时候取回。分散囤积的动物将每一种食物储存在不同的位置，并经常采取保护性行为，以防止它们的食物储存(储藏室)被盗。这些行为包括在埋藏食物之前广泛处理食物，远离竞争对手埋藏食物，以及小心地掩盖藏匿的食物。分散囤积型狐狸松鼠(Sciurus Niger)执行独特的行为(甩头、爪子摆动)，使它们能够确定单个食物的重量和价值，并相应地保护它们的藏身之处。通过使用全球定位系统(GPS)和跟踪技术、行为观察和DNA测试，研究人员将探索这些食物保护行为如何有助于成功取回缓存或防止其他松鼠窃取缓存。这项研究还将探索个人从亲戚那里偷东西的可能性是更大还是更小。这项拟议中的研究将填补动物行为文献中的一个空白，它将促进我们对动物如何恢复它们埋藏的食物的理解，并阐明零星囤积的动物是否通过允许窃取它们的藏品来养活它们的后代或近亲。对分散囤积动物的研究尚未解决关键问题：珍藏保护策略是否能阻止窃贼的盗窃，并帮助分散囤积的动物找回它们的珍藏？狐狸松鼠(Sciurus Niger)执行独特的评估行为(头部摆动、爪子操作)，使它们能够调整对缓存的投资。这项拟议中的研究将确定松鼠对食物的评估与其在藏匿地点的投资之间的关系，以及这些行为是否会减少盗窃。这项研究将使用GPS数据和无线电遥测/无源应答器来测量缓存和盗窃行为。他们还将对已建立的微卫星基因座进行放大和测序，以估计遗传相关性，并将相关性纳入缓存检索和盗窃的模型中。储藏食物的动物从事储藏保护行为，因为偷窃很常见。之前的研究未能考察食物评估、藏品保护、社会背景和藏品的长期命运之间的复杂关系。此外，大多数研究使用了由人类或实验动物制成的人工缓存。这项实地研究将使用一种创新的、跨学科的方法来检查由自由放养的松鼠制造的藏匿物品的盗窃情况。这项研究还将考察亲属选择和盗窃容忍度之间的关系，这一关系的支持将对我们理解分散囤积和社会行为具有重要意义。所有数据和分析将通过出版的手稿、会议演示文稿、提交给NSF的报告和NSF指南建议的其他方式提供。