Effects of Stress and Adrenal Functioning on Cognition & Integrating Functions and Mechanisms of Kin Recognition: Are there parallels between inbreeding avoidance and nepotism

包括人类在内的许多物种都可以根据遗传亲缘关系来区分个体。然而，这种亲属识别是如何完成的，在很大程度上仍未被探索。Belding的地松鼠，spermoophilus beldingi，是群居松鼠，表现出多种形式的裙带关系（对亲属的优先待遇），包括合作保卫领土和躲避捕食者，这需要识别亲属的能力。PI之前由美国国家科学基金会支持的研究表明，S. beldingi至少能产生六种不同的气味，这些气味可以用于社会识别，还有几种气味会随着关系而变化。这项提议的研究首次试图证明气味、识别机制和对亲属的优待之间存在直接的因果关系。这些研究将确定该物种如何利用气味进行识别，检查亲属歧视的限制，并描述亲属识别能力如何促进近亲繁殖避免。动物在不同环境中使用不同识别机制的能力在不可预测的社会环境中更受青睐；因此，这项研究将验证一种假设，即如果S. beldingi在冬眠期间失去了对亲属的所有记忆，那么它们以后必须依靠自己的气味来帮助它们在春天识别自己的亲属。理论还预测，动物会避免与近亲交配；因此，这些研究将利用观察和基因技术来确定亲属识别能力是否也在配偶选择中起作用。他们将测试用于善待特定亲属阶级的识别能力是否与用于避免近亲繁殖的识别能力相同。这个研究项目是第一个研究特定气味是否有许多重叠的功能，以及在多种情况下识别机制之间是否存在共性的研究项目之一。鉴于社会关系对理解物种形成、种群动态、交配系统和繁殖成功的重要性，本研究提供了一个独特的机会，将机制和功能层面的分析整合起来，以理解交配和裙带关系背景下的亲属识别。识别能力可以促进或限制对亲属的适应性反应，本研究的现场和实验室组成部分将促进这些结果的探索。本文的研究结果可以应用于各种分类类群的社会认同研究，也可以应用于圈养繁殖和再引入计划，特别是如果社会认同影响社会群体的形成和稳定或它们的交配成功。该项目将支持一名博士后学者的跨学科培训，并间接支持来自芝加哥大学校园几个项目的2-3名研究生。学生将接受理论和概念以及实地和实验技术方面的培训，整合行为，生态学和进化的近似和最终方法。该奖项每年还将支持4-5名本科野外助理的参与，让他们有机会体验野外生物学，无论收入或先前的经验如何。从历史上看，助学金一直提供给女性和少数民族，因为这两个群体往往不愿意进行实地考察。这笔奖金还将用于促进多用户分子遗传学设施的进一步发展，以及为现场附近的当地社区举办讲座和撰写文章。

Many species, including humans, can discriminate among individuals according to genetic relatedness. Yet how this kin recognition is accomplished remains largely unexplored. Belding's ground squirrels, Spermophilus beldingi, are group-living squirrels that exhibit many forms of nepotism (preferential treatment of relatives), including cooperative territory defense and predator avoidance, which require the ability to identify relatives. The PI's previous NSF-supported research showed that S. beldingi produce at least six individually distinct odors which can be used for social recognition, as well as several odors that vary with relatedness. The proposed research seeks to demonstrate for the first time a direct, causal association between odors, recognition mechanisms and preferential treatment of relatives. These studies will determine how this species uses odors for recognition, examine the limits of kin discrimination, and describe how kin-recognition abilities facilitate inbreeding avoidance. The ability of animals to use different recognition mechanisms in different contexts would be favored in unpredictable social environments; thus this research will test the hypothesis that if S. beldingi lose all memories of kin during hibernation they must later rely on their own odors to help them recognize their kin in the spring. Theory also predicts that animals will avoid mating with close kin; these studies will therefore determine whether kin-recognition abilities also function in mate choice, using observational and genetic techniques. They will test whether the recognition abilities used to treat particular kin classes favorably are the same as those used to avoid close inbreeding. This research program is among the first to examine if particular odors have numerous, overlapping functions and whether there are commonalities between the mechanisms of recognition in multiple contexts. Given the importance of social relationships for understanding speciation, population dynamics, mating systems and reproductive success, the proposed research offers a unique opportunity to integrate both mechanistic and functional levels of analysis for an understanding of kin recognition in both mating and nepotistic contexts. Recognition abilities can either promote or limit adaptive responses to kin, and the combined field and laboratory components of this research will facilitate exploration of these outcomes. The results of the proposed research can be applied to studies of social recognition in a variety of taxonomic groups, and can also be applied to captive breeding and re-introduction programs, particularly if social recognition influences the formation and stability of social groups or their mating success. This project will support the interdisciplinary training of a postdoctoral scholar and, indirectly, 2-3 graduate students from several programs on the University of Chicago campus. Students will be trained in theory and concepts as well as field and experimental techniques, integrating proximate and ultimate approaches to behavior, ecology and evolution. Each year of the award will also support participation of 4-5 undergraduate field assistants, giving them an opportunity to experience field biology regardless of income or prior experience. Historically, assistantships have been offered to females and ethnic minorities, as both groups tend to be discouraged from fieldwork. The award will also be used to promote further development of a multi-user molecular genetics facility, as well as to produce lectures and lay articles for the local communities near the field site.