Dissertaion Research: Hormonal Basis for Long-Term Pair-Bonds

保护和管理栖息地正在减少的物种需要了解导致成功繁殖的内分泌和行为因素。自1983年以来，布尔斯马博士一直在阿根廷研究这一物种，并已确定了约5000个个体。她发现，当两个个体建立长期的伴侣关系时，它们的繁殖成功率会显著提高。对于这种增加的成功是如何实现的，人们知之甚少。在她的研究生福勒先生和世界著名的内分泌学家温菲尔德博士的帮助下，激素的变化将在两个完整的繁殖季节被确定。他们将研究年龄、配对状态、激素水平之间的关系，以及这些因素如何相互作用以影响生殖成功。利用这些行为学和内分泌学技术将有助于理解一个长寿物种的既定配对产生更多后代的机制。这些数据不仅将填补我们生理学知识的重大空白，而且具有直接影响生物多样性保护和恢复的管理计划的巨大潜力。

Conservation and management of species whose habitats are diminishing require an understanding of endocrinological and behavioral factors that lead to successful reproduction. Since 1983, Dr. Boersma has been studying such a species in Argentina and has identified some 5,000 individuals. She has found that when two individuals establish a long-term pair bond, their reproductive success is significantly greater. Little is understood about how this increased success is achieved. With the help of her graduate student, Mr. Fowler, and Dr. Wingfield, a world renown field endocrinologist, hormone changes will be determined across two full breeding seasons. They will examine the relationship between age, pair-status, hormone profile, and how these factors interact to influence reproductive success. Utilizing these behavioral and endocrinological techniques will help to understand the mechanisms whereby established pairs of a long-lived species produce a higher number of offspring. These data will not only fill a significant gap in our knowledge of physiology but has the enormous potential of directly influencing the management programs underlying conservation and restoration of biological diversity.