Causes and consequences of individual variation in cognition in natural populations

自然群体认知个体差异的原因和后果

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-06558
• 负责人: MorandFerron, Julie
• 金额: $ 3.39万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=738969
• 关键词: Causes; consequences; individual; variation; cognition

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.

认知是一套神经过程，包括学习，记忆和决策，决定了个体如何与环境相互作用，因此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认知感兴趣，因此我们对认知的进化知之甚少。我的研究计划的长期目标是了解认知是如何由选择性环境塑造的。我通过测试进化假说的原因和后果的认知能力的个体差异，以揭示环境，行为，认知和健身之间的联系，以达到这一目的。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异，这三个系统提供了独特和互补的机会。在目标1中，我们将研究城市化对野生黑顶山雀（Poecile atricapillus）群体对社会信息和个人信息的相对偏好的影响。这些小型雀形目鸟类在非繁殖季节形成有凝聚力的群体，我们使用射频识别技术进行研究，允许自动记录饲养员的个人。这些访问模式被用来评估社交网络，群体凝聚力和社会信息流。我们将测试的预测，生活在更城市化的栖息地的鸟类更少依赖于社会信息，因此不太可能形成和保持在野外的文化传统，与生活在较少干扰的栖息地的鸟类相比。在目标2中，我们将使用一个栖息地比较和共同的花园实验，以测试当地捕获的秋季田野蟋蟀，蟋蟀的空间认知的地方适应。我们还将测试空间认知表现与其他认知特征，以及作为生活节奏综合征一部分的反捕食者行为和生活史特征的预测。目标3将建立在一个正在进行的大山雀野生种群繁殖监测项目的基础上。我们将测试的预测，时空联想学习是一个关键的认知能力，决定父母提供的后代，从而繁殖成功。通过研究预期介导认知对生殖影响的功能行为，这项研究将为认知适应性研究中缺失的环节提供信息。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，并将为人为干扰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研究、动物认知以及公众产生广泛而深远的影响。