Neuroethology of invertebrate sound and vibration communication systems

我的研究项目调查了动物如何使用它们的感官系统来检测和处理来自自然环境的信息。目前的焦点是昆虫的听觉和振动交流。昆虫拥有令人惊叹的多样性独特的感官器官，可以检测和处理远远超出人类感官能力的声音信号。我们将识别和描述蝴蝶、毛虫和甲虫的新型声学通信系统。我的研究小组使用神经生理学、激光振动学、神经解剖学、高速摄像和行为实验来解释昆虫如何与环境进行声学互动。我的实验室发现，许多蝴蝶的翅膀上有用于交流和检测捕食者的敏感耳朵。*我们现在的目标是描述哪些蝴蝶有耳朵，这些耳朵是如何生理运作的，以及是什么进化过程导致了新的或退化的听觉系统。这项研究将让我们了解蝴蝶的感觉生态学，其中许多蝴蝶是加拿大和世界各地脆弱的生态系统特有的。第二个目标是揭示毛虫是如何通过声音进行交流的。例如，我们将研究一些物种如何依靠振动在宿主植物上分布自己，并将识别它们用来检测微小振动的感觉器官。我们还将研究一些幼虫，包括秋季网虫(Hyphantria Cunea)和烟草角虫(Manduca Sexta)等害虫如何利用空气中的声音来躲避捕食者。第三个目标是在不同的无脊椎动物中识别新的声音感受器，如小甲虫(Scolytidae)对加拿大木材工业构成重大威胁的群体。我们的研究可以在害虫控制设备的设计中实施，这些设备可以诱捕昆虫或干扰涉及摄食或维持群体的感知机制。了解昆虫中声学感受器的功能组织也可能导致微型传感设备的创新开发。最后，拟议的研究将为寻求研究、健康科学、教学和昆虫学职业的学生提供背景培训。

My research program investigates how animals use their sensory systems to detect and process information from their natural environments. A current focus is on insect hearing and vibration communication.  Insects have an amazing diversity of unique sensory organs that can detect and process acoustic signals extending far beyond human sensory capabilities. We will identify and characterize novel acoustic communication systems in butterflies, caterpillars and beetles.  My research group uses neurophysiology, laser vibrometry, neuroanatomy, high speed videography, and behavioural experiments to explain how insects interact acoustically with their environment.  My laboratory has discovered that many butterflies possess sensitive ears on their wings used for communication and predator detection.  We now aim to describe which butterflies have ears, how these ears function physiologically, and what evolutionary processes led to 'new' or 'degenerate' auditory systems. This research will teach us about the sensory ecology of butterflies, many of which are endemic to fragile ecosystems in Canada and worldwide.  A second goal is to uncover how caterpillars communicate acoustically.  For example, we will study how some species rely on vibrations to space themselves on their host plants, and will identify the sensory organs they use for detecting minute vibrations.  We will also study how some larvae, including pest species like the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) and tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta), use airborne sounds to avoid predators.  A third goal is to identify novel acoustic receptors in different invertebrates, such as bark beetles (Scolytidae), a group that imposes a major threat to the Canadian timber industry.  Our research could be implemented in the design of pest control devices that trap insects or interfere with sensory mechanisms involved in feeding or maintaining groups.  Understanding the functional organization of acoustic receptors in insects could also lead to innovative developments for miniature sensing devices.  Finally, the proposed research will provide background training for students seeking careers in research, the health sciences, teaching, and entomology.