US-Chile IRES: Intraspecific variation in the social behavior of Chilean rodents - Ecology, mechanism, and fitness

这一国际学生研究经验(IRES)项目由2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助，研究生态变异、内分泌和神经生物学机制以及社会群体生活的生殖后果之间的潜在联系。路易斯安那大学门罗分校的研究生和本科生将与智利加多利卡大学、智利南方大学和智利大学的研究人员合作，在智利的原生栖息地研究两种分布广泛的社会性啮齿动物(德古斯和柯鲁斯)。生态因素(如食物的可获得性)、社会行为(包括群体生活)和繁殖成功将在具有不同生态条件的野外地点进行比较。此外，研究人员将收集样本进行荷尔蒙和神经生物学分析，以确定生态变异和社会性是否与这些系统的表达有关。这项研究的结果可能会导致一种新的动物社会进化机制模型的发展。该项目的一个主要重点是让美国学生与国际学生和教师一起参与有意义的项目。学生将与具有不同科学背景的研究人员密切合作，并学习现场和实验室技术，以提高他们的研究技能。总而言之，这些经验将增加学生参与者的网络和国际竞争力。通过有意为第一代、少数族裔和女性学生创造机会，该研究计划将对路易斯安那州东北部的生物教育和研究产生广泛影响。

This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), studies the potential links between ecological variation, endocrine and neurobiological mechanisms, and reproductive consequences of social group living. Graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe will collaborate with researchers from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, the Universidad Austral de Chile, and the Universidad de Chile to study two widely distributed and social rodents (degus and corurus) in their native habitats in Chile. Comparisons of ecological factors (such as the availability of food), social behaviors (including group-living), and reproductive success will be made in field sites characterized by different ecological conditions. In addition, the researchers will collect samples for hormonal and neurobiological analyses to determine if ecological variation and sociality are linked to the expression of these systems. The results of this study could lead to the development of a novel evolutionary-mechanistic model for animal sociality.A major emphasis of this project is to engage U.S. students in meaningful projects with international students and faculty. Students will work closely with researchers with different scientific backgrounds and will learn field and laboratory techniques that will enhance their research skills. Altogether, these experiences will increase the networking and international competitiveness of the student participants. By intentionally creating opportunities for first-generation, minority, and female students, the research program will have broad impacts on biology education and research in northeast Louisiana.