Social Influences on Reproductive Decisions- revised

社会环境可以以许多不同的方式影响个人。社会因素会影响学习、发展甚至健康。该提案的重点是研究不同类型的社会环境如何影响父母和后代的健康。所研究的模型系统是棕头牛鹂。牛椋鸟是研究社会环境对健康影响的一个极好的模型，因为它们是专为后代服务的寄生虫，不需要父母的照顾，因此它们的后代的生存能力不会受到父母能力的影响。该项目旨在采取综合方法，研究社会对交配、繁殖成功以及父母和后代健康的影响的作用和原因。它结合了对大群鸟类的观察研究和对循环激素作用的近似测量。将对圈养的牛鸥群进行观察和实验操作（通过改变牛鸥群的社会组成和植入激素）。这个过程提供了(1)控制鸟类获得的社会经验，(2)衡量繁殖成功，(3)衡量幼鸟的成长和活力。这项工作有希望推进关于选择在何时何地作用于社会有机体中灵活的行为模式的知识，并揭示影响健康和生存能力的文化过程的力量。此外，该实验室具有很强的教育使命；它对广泛的学生有吸引力，包括代表性不足的群体。最后，牛郎鸟是一个值得关注的物种，因为它们的繁殖能力很高。这项工作有可能提供有关刺激雌性繁殖因素的新知识，可用于管理和保护计划。

The social environment can influence the individual in many different ways. Social factors can affect learning, development and even health. The focus of this proposal is to examine how different types of social environments can impact the health of parents and offspring. The model system under study is the brown-headed cowbird. Cowbirds are an excellent model for investigating the influence of social environments on health because, being obligate brood parasites, they engage in no parental care, thus the viability of their young is not confounded by parental abilities. This project is designed to take an integrative approach in examining the function and cause of social influences on mating, reproductive success, and health of parents and offspring. It combines observational studies of large groups of birds with proximate measures of circulating hormone actions. Captive flocks of cowbirds will be observed and experimentally manipulated (by changing the social composition of the flocks, and with hormone implants). This procedure provides (1) control over the social experiences the birds gain, (2) measures of reproductive success, and (3), measures of the growth and vigor of the young. This work has the promise to advance knowledge on where and when selection may act on flexible behavior patterns in social organisms and to reveal the strength of cultural processes influencing health and viability. In addition, the lab has a strong educational mission; it is attractive to broad range of students including underrepresented groups. Finally, cowbirds are a species of concern due to their ability to reproduce at high rates. This work has the potential to provide new knowledge about the factors that stimulate female reproduction that could be used for management and conservation programs.