Function of Acoustic Signal Interactions

许多动物用声音时间交流，它们的叫声与邻居的叫声有关，并共同产生各种形式的同步或交替的合唱。传统上，这些信号相互作用被描述为合作事件，用于增强物种识别，减少捕食者或寄生蜂对声信号的攻击，或增强群体吸引雌性的能力。或者，一些研究人员提出，声音信号的相互作用代表了个体之间的某种形式的竞争。最近，格林菲尔德博士在实验和理论上证明，一些能发出声音的昆虫的同步性和交替性可以解释为雄性之间相互干扰的副产品，它们争相向雌性传播信号。这些发现在很大程度上局限于实验上理想和简单的情况，即具有类似信号策略的孤立的信号器对。格林菲尔德博士现在将通过研究(1)较大群体中的雄性如何控制其信号的发出时间，(2)单个雄性在干扰邻居信号的方式上是否存在差异，以及(3)雄性之间可能的战略差异是否取决于他们的能量储备和/或邻居的信号，来扩展这项关于干扰互动的研究。还将研究合唱中女性对男性个体的取向，以确定女性的选择如何影响男性的信号交互，并可能受到男性信号交互的影响。格林菲尔德博士的发现将为神经行为计时机制、学习在信号相互作用中的作用，以及雌性选择和雄性之间的信号干扰竞争之间的复杂相互作用提供关键信息。由于各种发声昆虫都是农业害虫，这项研究的行为信息可能会通过破坏配对活动来改进控制策略。

Many animals that communicate with sound time their calls in relation to their neighbors' calling and collectively produce various forms of synchronous or alternating choruses. Traditionally, these signal interactions have been described as cooperative events that serve to enhance species recognition, reduce attacks by predators or parasitoids attracted to the acoustic signals, or enhance the ability of a group to attract females. Alternatively, a few researchers have suggested that acoustic signal interactions represent some form of competition among individuals. Recently, Dr. Greenfield demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that synchrony and alternation in some sound-producing insects can be explained as by-products of jamming interactions between males competing to broadcast their signals to females. These findings were largely restricted to the experimentally ideal and simple situations of isolated pairs of signalers with comparable signaling strategies. Dr. Greenfield now will extend this work on jamming interactions by studying (1) how males in larger groups, such as found in most natural situations, control the timing of their signals, (2) whether or not individual males differ in how they jam neighbors' signals, and (3) whether or not the possible strategic differences between males depend on their energy reserves and/or the signaling of their neighbors. The orientation of females toward individual males in choruses will also be studied to determine how female choice may influence, and possibly be influenced by, male signal interactions. Dr. Greenfield's findings will provide critical information on neuro-behavioral timing mechanisms, the role of learning in signal interactions, and the complex interplay between female choice and signal-jamming competition between males. Because various sound-producing insects are agricultural pests, the behavioral information from this study may lead to improved control strategies via disruption of pair-forming activities.