Individual variation in behavior and reproduction: Influence of ecological, social, and physiological factors

行为和繁殖的个体差异：生态、社会和生理因素的影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05349
• 负责人: Schoof, Valerie
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 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=761259
• 关键词: Individual; variation; behavior; reproduction; Influence

I am interested in the ecological, social, and physiological factors that influence, and are influenced by, individual variation in behavior and reproduction. My developing research program focuses on the behavioural ecology and life-history of wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). Vervets are characterized by a relatively rapid life history pace, sex-specific dominance hierarchies, and sexual dichromatism, with pronounced intermale variation in scrotal and penile coloration. The vervet study population at Lake Nabugabo in southwestern Uganda, lives in a humanized landscape that when combined with the vervets' semi-terrestrial nature, makes them relatively easy to observe. The Nabugabo vervet population offers a relatively unique opportunity to investigate how access to energy-rich human foods influences development and reproduction. The current study group (followed since 2011) will be supplemented by two additional neighboring groups that I began habituating in July 2015. Thus, over the next five years, I will build on my experience in the analysis of the socioendocrinology of male reproductive strategies and my existing collaborations to examine 1) the emergence, maintenance, and signaling of male dominance rank, and 2) the ecological influences on breeding seasonality and how these influence the timing of male life-history events. I use an individual approach to examine behavioural and physiological differences between individuals, but just as critically important is my use of a longitudinal approach, which allows me to examine intra-individual variation across different life-history stages. Males are expected to invest differentially in various behavioural and reproductive strategies based on internal (e.g., age, health, hormones) and external factors (e.g., number of fertile females, number and quality of male competitors). These factors likely influence the conditions under which a particular male invests in the attainment and maintenance of high dominance rank or instead opts for low-ranking subordinate status. Reproductive strategies likely change throughout an individual's lifetime, and are likely accompanied by different behavioural (including mating) tactics. While research shows that reproductive success is often skewed in favor of high-ranking individuals, this relationship is usually based on short-term studies focusing on males during their tenure as dominant individuals. In order to truly evaluate the costs and benefits of condition-dependent strategies, studies must focus on lifetime reproductive success. Only a research program that applies both individual and longitudinal approaches can accumulate these data.

我对影响个体行为和繁殖差异并受其影响的生态、社会和生理因素感兴趣。我正在进行的研究项目主要集中在野生马尾猴(Chlorocbus Pygerythus)的行为生态学和生活史方面。马鞭草的特征是生活史节奏相对较快，性别特有的优势等级和性别二色性，在阴囊和阴茎的颜色上有明显的雄性间差异。生活在乌干达西南部纳布加博湖的马鞭草研究种群生活在人性化的景观中，与马鞭草的半陆地性质相结合，使它们相对容易观察。Nabugabo马鞭草种群提供了一个相对独特的机会，可以研究获取富含能量的人类食物如何影响发育和生殖。目前的研究组(自2011年开始跟踪)将由另外两个相邻的小组补充，我从2015年7月开始适应这两个小组。因此，在接下来的五年里，我将以我在分析雄性生殖策略的社会内分泌学方面的经验和我现有的合作为基础，研究1)雄性优势等级的出现、维持和信号，2)生态对繁殖季节性的影响，以及这些影响如何影响雄性生活史事件的时间。我使用个人的方法来检查个人之间的行为和生理差异，但同样重要的是我使用了纵向方法，它允许我检查不同生命历史阶段的个人内部差异。预计男性会根据内部因素(如年龄、健康、激素)和外部因素(如有生育能力的女性的数量、男性竞争者的数量和质量)对各种行为和生殖战略进行不同的投资。这些因素可能会影响特定男性投资于获得和维持较高的优势地位或转而选择较低的从属地位的条件。生殖策略可能会在一个人的一生中发生变化，并可能伴随着不同的行为(包括交配)策略。虽然研究表明，生殖成功往往偏向于地位较高的个体，但这种关系通常是基于短期研究，关注的是男性在担任主导个体期间的情况。为了真正评估条件依赖策略的成本和收益，研究必须专注于终生生殖成功。只有同时采用个人和纵向方法的研究项目才能积累这些数据。