Sociality, communication and animal cognitive abilities

我的研究考察了促进动物合作和社会性的遗传和环境因素，以及社会群体成员分享和处理信息的方式。地松鼠和蚂蚁是我研究的重点，因为它们数量丰富，社会性很强。通过对不同物种的社会行为进行比较，我可以确定哪些因素总体上促进了动物的社会性。到目前为止，我的研究表明，随着社会的发展，它们变得更加包容，非亲属之间的合作也越来越多。对亲属的偏爱，以及在社会关系的早期进化中常见的亲属识别，可能会继续存在，这样动物就可以避免与近亲交配。我提议的研究大大扩展了我早先的发现。首先，我将收集关于非社会性富兰克林地松鼠是否使用亲属识别来优先与亲戚联系和合作的现场数据，或者只是为了避免与近亲交配。通过观察亲属识别在非社会性物种中的作用，我可以确定这种能力在社会进化中扮演了什么角色。我还将在制造奴隶的蚂蚁上进行实验，这将测试物种之间长期的寄生关系是否可以导致合作的方面。其次，由于群体成员之间的交流在一个社会中是必要的，所以我将继续研究地松鼠的警报交流。我将在我早先的发现基础上，通过测试呼叫接收者是否整合了来自多个无关呼叫者的信息来跟踪捕食者的行动，从而识别单个报警呼叫者。我还将进行实地研究，以测试个人是否分享了有关他们对可能的捕食者保持警惕的信息，以及我的实验室最近发现的超声波警报呼叫是否选择性地警告亲属，或者是自私地阻止呼叫者被捕食者定位。研究动物是如何获得和处理信息的，揭示了它们潜在的认知能力。总体而言，我的工作对社会性是如何演变的，以及沟通和认知能力如何有助于社会合作提供了重要的见解。从可能易受伤害的富兰克林地松鼠身上获得的基本生物学数据也有助于保护工作。

My research examines genetic and environmental factors promoting cooperation and sociality in animals, as well as ways in which members of social groups share and process information. Ground squirrels and ants are the focus of my research because they are abundant and highly social. Comparisons of social behaviour across species allow me to identify which factors in general promote animal sociality. My research to date suggests that as societies evolve, they become more inclusive, with increasing cooperation among non-relatives. Favoritism toward kin, and kin recognition common in the early evolution of sociality, may remain in place so that animals can avoid mating with close relatives. My proposed research expands significantly on my earlier findings. First, I will collect field data on whether asocial Franklin's ground squirrels use kin recognition to associate and cooperate preferentially with relatives, or simply to avoid mating with close kin. By looking at the role of kin recognition in asocial species, I can determine what role that ability played in social evolution. I will also conduct experiments on slave making ants, which will test whether long-term parasitic relationships between species can lead to aspects of cooperation. Secondly, as communication among group members is necessary within a society, I will continue research on alarm communication in ground squirrels. I will build on my earlier finding that squirrels recognize individual alarm callers by testing whether call recipients integrate information from multiple unrelated callers to track predator's movements. I will also conduct field studies to test whether individuals share information about their level of vigilance toward possible predators, and whether the ultrasonic alarm calls discovered recently by my lab, selectively warn relatives, or selfishly prevent callers from being located by predators. Examining how information is obtained and processed by animals reveals their underlying cognitive abilities. Overall, my work provides important insights into how sociality evolved, and how communication and cognitive abilities contribute to societal cooperation. The basic biological data obtained on potentially vulnerable Franklin's ground squirrels also contribute to conservation efforts.