RUI: Comparison of Seismic Communication in Four Species ofDesert Rodents

小行星9306688 在世界各地的几个啮齿动物家族中，用后脚撞击地面以产生机械振动已经独立进化。 虽然足鼓行为在北非、南非、中东、俄罗斯中部、亚洲和北美的沙漠啮齿类动物中很常见，但只有在美国西南部的旗尾袋鼠鼠中进行了详细的研究。 兰德尔博士发现，旗尾鼠的足击声是一种交流系统的一部分：老鼠们会创造出各自不同的足击声特征，在领土防御过程中，这些特征被用来识别邻居。 她现在试图通过比较旗帜尾巴与来自不同地点和栖息地的三种袋鼠鼠来了解脚鼓作为交流的进化。 新物种包括巨型袋鼠鼠，一种生活在开阔草原上的联邦濒危物种，沙漠袋鼠鼠，生活在沙丘上，以及来自岩石斜坡的Heerman袋鼠鼠。 主要的兴趣将是物种之间的比较，年龄，性别和个人的脚鼓信号的背景下，领土防御，资源和配偶的竞争，并在捕食者防御。 回放实验将测试物种，性别和个人识别识别的足鼓信号。 这是第一次对密切相关物种的足鼓进行比较研究，因此将有助于对这种独特的通信系统如何进化的一般理解。 这项研究的结果可以帮助我们理解为什么世界上的沙漠中有这么多啮齿动物进化出了足鼓行为。 这项研究还应该提供有关沙漠社区的宝贵信息，并协助制定濒危物种袋鼠鼠的恢复计划。

9306688 Randall Striking the hind feet on the ground to create mechanical vibrations has evolved independently in several rodent families around the world. Although foot-drumming behavior is common in desert rodents from North and South Africa, Middle East, Central Russia, Asia, and North America, it has been studied in detail only in the Southwestern United States in the banner-tailed kangaroo rat. Dr. Randall has found that foot-drumming by the banner-tails is part of a communication system: the rats create individually distinct foot- drumming signatures that are used to identify neighbors during territorial defense. She now seeks to understand the evolution of foot-drumming as communication through comparing the banner-tails with three species of kangaroo rat from different locations and habitats. The new species include the giant kangaroo rat, a federally listed endangered species that lives in open grassland, the desert kangaroo rat, which lives in sand dunes, and the Heerman's kangaroo rat from rocky slopes. Of primary interest will be between-species comparisons by age, sex, and individual of the foot-drumming signal in the contexts of territorial defense, competition for resources and mates, and in predator defense. Playback experiments will test for species, sex and individual recognition of identified foot-drumming signals. This is the first comparative study of foot-drumming in closely related species, and as such will contribute to a general understanding of how this unique communication system evolved. Results of this study can help us understand why so many rodents in the world's deserts have evolved foot-drumming behavior. This research should also provide valuable information about desert communities and assist in development of recovery plans for endangered species of kangaroo rats.