Olfactory Communication in Primates

嗅觉信号在哺乳动物中无处不在，可以向潜在的竞争对手或配偶宣传质量、繁殖状态和资源所有权。嗅觉是一个越来越受关注的领域，但它在灵长类动物（包括人类）中的作用仍然知之甚少。这个项目将研究两个关键物种的嗅觉交流，环尾狐猴和山魈，选择它们是因为它们独特的形态和行为特征为研究配偶选择的嗅觉机制提供了一个理想的比较框架：这两个物种都有气味腺体，但在社会组织和两性二态性程度上差异很大。作为一种非传统的模型，山魈也有望强调化学信号在东半球灵长类动物中的重要性。该项目还将调查其他20种原猴物种的气味产生，选择它们是因为它们的气味腺和标记行为的多样性提供了一个同样宝贵的机会来研究物种在信号内容上的差异，目的是更好地理解系统发育模式。结合现场和实验室的方法将包括：(1)化学分析来破译信号的挥发性信息内容，(2)行为观察和生物分析来评估接受者对气味信号的反应，(3)遗传分析来表征信号发送者和接受者之间的杂合性、相关性和免疫相容性的变化，以及(4)蛋白质组学分析来揭示气味线索的非挥发性贡献。这项综合研究将确定嗅觉线索的重要相关因素，以阐明嗅觉交流进化的生物学机制。虽然研究对象是灵长类动物，但研究结果有望广泛适用，为研究嗅觉信号在哺乳动物生殖广告、社会分层、配偶选择以及个体、亲属和物种识别中的作用提供了新的视角。通过对教学的坚定承诺和对合作的强调，这个项目将产生更广泛的影响。该项目将(1)提供培养未来科学家的机会；(2)鼓励弱势群体从事科学事业；(3)通过新的研究项目促进跨部门、跨大学和国际伙伴关系，拓宽教师和学生的视野；(4)将项目衍生信息整合到课程开发中；(5)向科学界传播信息；(6)与针对大学、小学和公众的教育项目共享信息，从而加强教育，提高公众对濒危灵长类动物的认识，并有助于物种保护。

Olfactory signals are ubiquitous among mammals and serve to advertise quality, reproductive state, and resource ownership to potential competitors or mates. Olfaction is an area of growing interest, but its role in primates, including humans, remains poorly understood. This project will examine olfactory communication in two key species, the ringtailed lemur and mandrill, selected because their exceptional morphological and behavioral characteristics provide an ideal comparative framework for examining olfactory mechanisms of mate choice: Both species have scent glands, but differ dramatically in their social organization and degree of sexual dimorphism. As a nontraditional model, the mandrill also promises to underscore the importance of chemosignals in Old World primates. This project also will survey odorant production in 20 other prosimian species, selected because the diversity of their scent glands and marking behavior offers an equally invaluable opportunity to examine species differences in signal content, with the goal of better understanding phylogenetic patterns. Combined field and laboratory approaches will include (1) chemical analyses to decipher the volatile information content of signals, (2) behavioral observation and bioassays to evaluate the receiver's response to scent signals, (3) genetic analyses to characterize variation in heterozygosity, relatedness, and immunocompatibility between signal senders and their recipients, and (4) proteomic analyses to unravel the nonvolatile contribution to odor cues. This integrative study will identify important correlates of olfactory cues to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the evolution of olfactory communication. While focused on primates, the results promise to be broadly applicable, providing additional insight into the role of olfactory signals in mammalian reproductive advertisement, social stratification, and mate choice, as well as in individual, kin, and species recognition.The broader impact of this project will be attained through a strong commitment to teaching and an emphasis on collaboration. This project will (1) provide opportunities for training future scientists; (2) encourage under-represented groups to pursue science careers; (3) foster interdepartmental, inter-university, and international partnerships through new research ventures that broaden the perspectives of faculty and students alike; (4) integrate project-derived information into course development; (5) disseminate information to the scientific community; and (6) share information with educational programs that target universities, primary schools, and the general public, thereby enhancing education, raising public awareness about endangered primates, and aiding in species preservation.