The role of biological interactions in the evolution of animal behavior

生物相互作用在动物行为进化中的作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-06689
• 负责人: Montiglio, PierreOlivier
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: Université du Québec à Montréal
• 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=765223
• 关键词: role; biological; interactions; evolution; animal

Some animal populations are composed of individuals preferring to settle in distinct habitats (polymorphism). Other are instead composed of individuals adjusting their behaviour to their habitat (plasticity). It is challenging to predict under what circumstances evolution should maintain polymorphism and plasticity because organisms affect each other's characteristics and fitness. My objectives are to test whether predator-prey interactions and competition drive the coevolution of anti-predatory, social, and foraging behaviours; to determine how interactions can favor the coevolution of preferences for certain habitats with plasticity; and to assess how competition affects the pace of evolutionary change. Western black widow spiders offer a rare opportunity to test my hypotheses experimentally. They spin three-dimensional webs protecting the spider from predatory wasps and capturing prey. My research team and I will analyse how the characteristics of webs shape spiders' vulnerability to predation, foraging success, and impact on insect prey communities. We will also monitor a subset of wild spiders each year to estimate the relationship between their fecundity, survival, and the characteristics of their webs. My research team will also identify the cues used by spiders to choose their habitat and assess the selection gradients acting on habitat preferences and plasticity. Work in the laboratory will quantify the genetic correlations among habitat preferences and plasticity. We will characterize how spiders adjust the structure of their webs in response to competition and assess the effects of these adjustments on foraging behaviour and diet. We will also quantify how competition affects the heritability of web structure. This program integrates research on animal behaviour, ecology, and evolution to generate insights into why some populations exhibit a stronger polymorphism or plasticity than others. It will thus provide several insights on biological evolution that will be important for behavioural and community ecologists, and evolutionary biologists.

一些动物种群由喜欢在不同的栖息地定居的个体组成(多态)。其他的则是由个体根据其栖息地(可塑性)调整自己的行为而组成的。预测在什么情况下进化应该保持多态和可塑性是具有挑战性的，因为生物会影响彼此的特征和适应性。我的目标是测试捕食者-猎物的相互作用和竞争是否推动反捕食性、社会性和觅食行为的共同进化；确定相互作用如何有利于对具有可塑性的某些栖息地的偏好的共同进化；以及评估竞争如何影响进化变化的速度。西部黑寡妇蜘蛛提供了一个难得的机会，可以用实验来检验我的假设。它们编织三维网络，保护蜘蛛不受捕食性黄蜂的伤害，并捕获猎物。我和我的研究团队将分析蜘蛛网的特征如何塑造蜘蛛对捕食的脆弱性、觅食成功以及对昆虫猎物群落的影响。我们还将每年监测野生蜘蛛的一个子集，以估计它们的繁殖力、存活率和它们的网特征之间的关系。我的研究团队还将识别蜘蛛用来选择栖息地的线索，并评估影响栖息地偏好和可塑性的选择梯度。实验室的工作将量化栖息地偏好和可塑性之间的遗传相关性。我们将描述蜘蛛如何根据竞争调整其网的结构，并评估这些调整对觅食行为和饮食的影响。我们还将量化竞争如何影响网络结构的遗传性。这个项目整合了对动物行为、生态学和进化论的研究，以深入了解为什么一些种群表现出比其他种群更强的多态或可塑性。因此，它将提供关于生物进化的几个见解，这对行为和社区生态学家以及进化生物学家将是重要的。