Integrative Ecology

综合生态学

• 批准号: CRC-2021-00416
• 负责人: Mathot, Kimberley
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Canada Research Chairs
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=750745
• 关键词: Integrative; Ecology

Dr. Mathot's research program will use innovative approaches to study the way that animals manage and respond to uncertainty. Animals are constantly faced with decisions, such as where to forage, with whom to mate, and how to avoid predators, and all of these decisions involve uncertainty. Imagine a small bird in winter balancing the risk of starvation against the risk of mortality due to predation; if they detect a predator, how should they respond? Underestimating the risk of predation and choosing to stay in the area could result in increased risk of mortality due to predation, but overestimating the risk and choosing to leave the area could result in increased risk of mortality due to starvation. Not surprisingly, animals have evolved various means of coping with uncertainty, including investing time and/or energy to learn about relevant features of the environment (i.e., sampling), observing the behaviour of others (i.e., social information), or insuring themselves against uncertainty. A growing body of evidence suggests that within populations, individuals often differ in how they invest in managing uncertainty, but the causes and consequences of these differences are not well understood. Dr. Mathot's research program will address how and why individuals differ in the extent to which they invest in and act on information, how information is shared among individuals within groups, and the adaptive value (i.e., survival consequences) of gathering information to reduce uncertainty. To do this, Dr. Mathot will develop models, and conduct both field and lab experiments manipulating the level of uncertainty about key environmental variables including food, predation risk, and temperature, and tracking individual responses. Field work will be conducted in a marked population of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) which will enable Dr. Mathot and her team to track individuals throughout their lives to evaluate the consequences of different strategies for managing uncertainty on annual survival. Because information is necessary to respond appropriately to current conditions, Dr. Mathot's research program will provide critical insights on the ability of individuals and populations to respond to environmental change.

Mathot博士的研究项目将采用创新的方法来研究动物管理和应对不确定性的方式。动物经常面临决策，比如在哪里觅食，与谁交配，以及如何避开捕食者，所有这些决策都包含不确定性。想象一下，一只小鸟在冬天权衡饥饿的风险和被捕食而死亡的风险；如果它们发现了捕食者，它们会如何反应？低估被捕食的风险并选择留在该地区可能会导致因被捕食而死亡的风险增加，但高估风险并选择离开该地区可能会导致因饥饿而死亡的风险增加。毫不奇怪，动物已经进化出各种应对不确定性的方法，包括投入时间和/或精力来学习环境的相关特征（即抽样），观察他人的行为（即社会信息），或确保自己免受不确定性的影响。越来越多的证据表明，在人群中，个体在管理不确定性的投资方式上往往存在差异，但这些差异的原因和后果尚未得到很好的理解。Mathot博士的研究项目将探讨个体在信息投资和行动方面的差异，群体内个体之间如何共享信息，以及收集信息以减少不确定性的适应价值（即生存后果）。为了做到这一点，Mathot博士将开发模型，并进行现场和实验室实验，以操纵关键环境变量（包括食物、捕食风险和温度）的不确定性水平，并跟踪个人反应。野外工作将在一群有标记的黑冠山雀（Poecile atricapillus）中进行，这将使Mathot博士和她的团队能够跟踪个体的一生，以评估管理不确定性对年存活率的不同策略的影响。因为信息是必要的，以适当地应对当前的条件，马索博士的研究计划将提供关键的见解，个人和群体的能力，以应对环境变化。