Doctoral Dissertation Research: Female mate choice in primates

博士论文研究：灵长类动物的雌性择偶

• 批准号: 2316896
• 负责人: James Higham
• 金额: $ 3.55万
• 依托单位: New York University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2316896&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Female; mate

The elaborate colors and mating behaviors exhibited by males in many species of birds and fish evolved as adaptations for female mate choice, however, comparatively little is known about female mate choice in mammals. This doctoral dissertation research project examines the evolutionary pressures underlying the role of female mate choice and its implications for male-male competition and reproductive success in a non-human primate. Through measurement and analysis of cues to potential mates – such as scent and color – the results of this project advance knowledge about the physiological and behavioral correlates of mate choice in primates. This project supports a female graduate student in laboratory and statistical training. As part of this project, she collaborates with a conservation organization to support the conservation of endangered primate species, and actively mentors high school and undergraduate students through programs which aim to provide research opportunities to underserved communities. Many primates live in multi-male multi-female groups in which both males and females mate with multiple partners (a polygynandrous mating system). In these mating systems, there are increased opportunities for males to compete over reproduction, and increased scope for females to exert mate choice. The study species displays a unique suite of phenotypic and behavioral traits that appear contrary to those predicted by sexual selection theory, presenting an interesting system in which to test existing evolutionary models regarding female mate choice and male-male competition. This project tests conceptual and theoretical models of the selective pressures underlying the role of female mate choice through two primary objectives: 1) characterization of aspects of male phenotypes (i.e., sexual coloration, chemical profiles of cutaneous glands, dominance rank); and 2) assessment the role of female mate choice by measuring the extent to which female preferences predict male reproductive success. This is achieved by combining behavioral data with innovative biological sampling techniques. In addition to the novel data generated for the study species, through deep interrogation of multiple components of mate choice in a primate this research provides valuable comparative information for the broader study of the evolution of mate choice in mammals.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

男性在许多种类的鸟类和鱼类中所表现出的精美颜色和交配行为是作为女性伴侣选择的适应而演变而来的，但是，关于哺乳动物中女性伴侣的选择相对鲜为人知。这项博士学位论文研究项目考试了女性伴侣选择作用的进化压力及其对男性男性竞争的影响和在非人类灵长类动物中的生殖成功。通过测量和分析潜在伴侣的提示（例如恐怖和颜色），该项目的结果提高了有关私人选择伴侣选择的物理和行为相关性的知识。该项目支持实验室和统计培训的女研究生。作为该项目的一部分，她与保护组织合作，以支持濒危灵长类动物的保护，并通过旨在为服务不足的社区提供研究机会的计划积极指导高中和本科生。许多小学都生活在多女性的多女性群体中，其中男性和女性与多个伴侣（多尔甘诺配合系统）交配。在这些交配系统中，男性有更多的机会就繁殖而竞争，并增加了女性执行伴侣选择的范围。该研究物种显示出独特的表型和行为性状套件，这些特征与性选择理论预测的物种形成鲜明对比，并提出了一个有趣的系统，在该系统中，该系统可以测试有关女性伴侣选择和男性男性竞争的现有进化模型。该项目测试了通过两个主要目标选择女性伴侣选择的选择性压力的概念和理论模型：1）表征男性表型方面的表征（即性色素，皮肤腺体的化学特征，优势等级）； 2）通过测量女性偏好预测男性生殖成功的程度来评估女性伴侣选择的作用。这是通过将行为数据与创新的生物学抽样技术相结合来实现的。除了为研究物种生成的新颖数据外，还通过对灵长类动物中的伴侣选择的多种组成部分进行深入询问，为对哺乳动物伴侣选择的进化提供了更广泛的比较信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并通过评估有价值。