Causes and consequences of individual variation in cognition in natural populations

认知是一套包括学习、记忆和决策在内的神经过程，它决定了个体如何与环境相互作用，从而影响了一系列生态和进化过程。传统上，心理学家和神经生物学家对近端问题感兴趣，研究认知；因此，我们对认知的进化仍然知之甚少。我的研究项目的长期目标是了解认知是如何被选择性环境塑造的。我通过测试关于个体认知能力差异的原因和后果的进化假设来实现这一目标，从而揭示环境、行为、认知和健康之间的联系。在接下来的五年里，我和我的学生将在三个不同的研究系统中量化认知的种内变化，这将提供独特和互补的机会。在Obj.1中，我们将研究城市化对黑冠山雀（Poecile atricapillus）野生种群社会信息与个人信息相对偏好的影响。这些小雀形目鸟类在非繁殖季节形成凝聚力的群体，我们使用射频识别技术进行研究，该技术允许在喂食处自动记录个体。这些访问模式被用来评估社会网络、群体凝聚力和社会信息流。我们将验证这一预测，即与生活在较少受干扰栖息地的鸟类相比，生活在城市化程度较高的栖息地的鸟类对社会信息的依赖程度较低，因此在野外形成和维持文化传统的可能性较小。在Obj.2中，我们将采用栖息地比较和普通花园实验来测试在当地捕获的秋田蟋蟀（Gryllus pennsylvanicus）的空间认知的地方适应性。我们还将测试空间认知表现与其他认知特征、反捕食者行为和作为生活节奏综合症一部分的生活史特征相一致的预测。Obj.3将建立在一个正在进行的野生山雀种群繁殖监测项目的基础上。我们将验证时空联想学习是决定亲代提供后代的关键认知能力，从而决定生殖成功的预测。通过研究一种功能性行为，预期将调解认知对生殖的影响，本研究将告知认知健康研究中缺失的环节。这项工作将为我的长期研究目标提供重要的进展，即了解野生种群的认知进化，并将为人为扰动和自然生态梯度对行为和认知的影响提供新的知识。因此，我们的发现将对生态学和进化、动物认知和公众的研究产生广泛而深远的影响。

Cognition, a suite of neural processes including learning, memory and decision-making, determines how individuals interact with their environment, and therefore affects a range of ecological and evolutionary processes. Traditionally, cognition has been studied by psychologists and neurobiologists interested in proximal questions; therefore we still know very little on the evolution of cognition. The long-term objective of my research program is to understand how cognition is shaped by the selective environment. I approach this aim by testing evolutionary hypotheses on the causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities, so as to uncover the links between the environment, behaviour, cognition, and fitness. In the next five years, my students and I will quantify intraspecific variation in cognition in three different research systems which provide unique and complementary opportunities. In Obj.1, we will examine the impact of urbanization on the relative preference for social vs personal information in a wild population of black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus. These small passerine birds form cohesive groups during the non-breeding season, which we study using radio-frequency identification technology allowing automated recording of individuals at feeders. These visitation patterns are used to assess social networks, group cohesiveness and social information flow. We will test the prediction that birds living in more urbanized habitats are less reliant on social information, and are therefore less likely to form and maintain cultural traditions in the wild, compared with birds living in less perturbed habitats. In Obj.2, we will use a habitat comparison and common garden experiment to test for local adaptation of spatial cognition in locally-caught fall field crickets, Gryllus pennsylvanicus. We will also test the prediction that spatial cognitive performance aligns with other cognitive traits, and with anti-predator behaviour and life-history traits as part of a pace-of-life syndrome. Obj.3 will build on an ongoing breeding monitoring program in a wild population of great tits, Parus major. We will test the prediction that spatio-temporal associative learning is a key cognitive ability determining parental provisioning of offspring, and thus reproductive success. By examining a functional behaviour expected to mediate the influence of cognition on reproduction, this research will inform a missing link in cognition-fitness studies. This work will provide important advances towards my long-term research goal, i.e. to understand the evolution of cognition in wild populations, and will contribute new knowledge on the effect of anthropogenic perturbations and natural ecological gradients on behaviour and cognition. Our findings will thus have borad and profound impact on research in ecology and evolution, animal cognition, and on the general public.