Collaborative Research: Elucidating the interactive effects of sensory response and signal function on the evolution of signal diversity

现代动物学的一个根本挑战是理解为什么在某些情况下，大量相似的动物物种已经形成，并继续在相对有限的地理区域共存。这项研究将考察沟通在促进Anolis蜥蜴群落物种边界方面的作用。雄性Anolis蜥蜴利用一种视觉交流信号，这种信号由一种名为露珠的彩色喉扇的显示组成。每一物种的下垂上都有不同的颜色和/或图案，这有助于保持物种的多样性，因为它允许蜥蜴很容易地发现、识别并与自己的物种交配，并避免与其他类似物种的杂交和不必要的竞争。露水S的有效性强烈地依赖于每个栖息地的光照条件和Anolis视觉系统的神经反应。这项研究将重点关注牙买加、伊斯帕尼奥拉岛和波多黎各岛上的蜥蜴群落。它将利用物理学、光学工程学、神经科学、行为生物学、解剖学和计算机建模的技术，学习蜥蜴视觉系统如何检测和区分不同物种露珠上发现的颜色和图案，以及栖息地光线的差异如何影响这些能力。该项目包括一个强有力的教育宣传部分。高中生、本科生和研究生将积极参与研究的各个方面，并将特别努力纳入在科学领域代表性不足的群体。研究结果将通过热门文章、公开演示和基于网络的模块向公众传达，这些模块允许感兴趣的个人探索光的物理属性、视觉生理和生态条件之间的相互作用。通过解释有效沟通在维持物种间生殖边界方面的作用，该项目将提供对旨在通过保护和重建栖息地保护生物多样性的保护工作至关重要的信息。

A fundamental challenge of modern Zoology is to understand why, in some cases, large numbers of similar-appearing animal species have formed, and continue to coexist, in relatively limited geographical areas. This study will examine the role of communication in facilitating species boundaries in communities of Anolis lizards. Male Anolis lizards utilize a visual communication signal that consists of the display of a colorful throat fan called the dewlap. Each species has a different color and/or pattern on its dewlap that helps to maintain species diversity by allowing lizards to easily detect, recognize and mate with members of their own species, and avoid interbreeding and unnecessary competition with other similar species. The dewlap?s effectiveness depends strongly on light conditions in each habitat, and on the neural responses of the Anolis visual system. This study will focus on lizard communities on the islands of Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. It will employ techniques from physics, optical engineering, neuroscience, behavioral biology, anatomy, and computer modeling to learn how lizard visual systems detect and discriminate between the colors and patterns found on the dewlaps of different species, and how differences in habitat light influence these capabilities. This project includes a strong educational outreach component. High school, undergraduate and graduate students will actively participate in all aspects of the research and a special effort will be made to include groups underrepresented in sciences. Findings will be communicated to the public via popular articles, public presentations, and web-based modules that allow interested individuals to explore the interactions between the physical properties of light, visual physiology, and ecological conditions. By explaining the role of effective communication in the maintenance of reproductive boundaries between species, the project will provide information that is critical for conservation efforts aimed at preserving biological diversity through habitat preservation and reconstruction.