DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Behavioral and neural mechanisms of altitudinal replacement in singing mice

拟议的研究将使用新热带唱歌小鼠（Scotinomys属）来探索行为和神经机制如何调节物种之间的竞争相互作用，从而限制物种分布。本研究的目的是：（1）探讨阿尔斯顿的歌唱小鼠（S。teguina）感知并响应一个密切相关的优势物种，奇里基唱歌老鼠（S.（2）确定影响种间优势相互作用的神经基质。这项研究包括实验室和现场回放实验，在哥斯达黎加山地云雾森林中，S。teguina是单独发现的（异地）或与S。旱生的（同域的）。这项研究的综合性质使我们能够将神经水平上的歌曲感知变化与地理水平上的分布变化联系起来。 研究哺乳动物发声的机制和功能也为识别鸟类和其他脊椎动物分类群中的会聚和发散感知途径提供了令人兴奋的机会。这项研究涉及到哥斯达黎加和佛罗里达州盖恩斯维尔的小学和中学的大量推广。最后，这项工作将有助于在整个拉丁美洲建立国际合作。

The proposed research will use Neotropical singing mice (genus Scotinomys) to explore how behavioral and neural mechanisms moderate competitive interactions between species and, in turn, limit species distributions. The objectives of the study are to 1) investigate how Alston's singing mouse (S. teguina) perceives and responds to the songs of a closely related and dominant species, the Chiriqui singing mouse (S. xerampelinus); and 2) to identify the neural substrates that contribute to between-species dominance interactions. The research involves both laboratory and field playback experiments in Costa Rican montane cloud forests where S. teguina is found alone (allopatric) or with S. xerampelinus (sympatric). The integrative nature of the study enables us to link changes in song perception at the neural level to changes in distribution at the geographic level. Examining the mechanisms and function of mammalian vocalization also presents exciting opportunities to identify convergent and divergent pathways of perception in birds and other vertebrate taxa. The research involves substantial outreach to elementary and middle schools in Costa Rica and Gainesville, FL. Lastly, the work will help forge international collaborations throughout Latin America.