The role of behavior in the establishment of novel traits

太平洋田野蟋蟀已经被引入夏威夷，在那里它会受到一种寄生苍蝇的影响，这种寄生苍蝇通过监听雄性蟋蟀的叫声找到寄主，并将幼虫寄生在蟋蟀体内，最终杀死它。这让这只蟋蟀陷入了两难境地，因为呼唤是它吸引配偶的手段，但也将它置于危险之中。在夏威夷的一些种群中，50%-90%的雄性蟋蟀现在有一个突变的翅膀，缺乏叫声所需的器官。因此，它们无法叫唤，这保护了它们免受苍蝇的伤害，但它们也面临着吸引配偶的挑战。这个项目考察了这种异常快速的进化(这种变化发生在16-20代之间)对蟋蟀交配行为的影响。关于这种新突变的能力建立起来的假设是，先前存在的行为可塑性使沉默的蟋蟀获得了繁殖成功。这种突变及其影响将在野外进行监测，实验室实验将检验早期对声环境的体验如何影响交配行为。在向大学生和公众发表演讲时，这项研究对进化生物学和动物行为的许多主题提供了令人信服的介绍，因为它以熟悉的动物为特色？蟋蟀？在一个有吸引力的地方？夏威夷？通过自然选择来躲避令人不快的外星人寄生虫，这使雄性在繁殖方面陷入两难境地。

The Pacific field cricket has been introduced to Hawaii, where it is subject to a parasitoid fly that finds its host by listening to the calling song of the male crickets and depositing larvae that burrow inside the cricket and eventually kill it. This puts the cricket in a dilemma, because calling is his means to attract a mate, but also places him in danger. In some Hawaiian populations, 50-90% of the male crickets now have a mutated wing that lacks the apparatus necessary for calling. They are thus unable to call, which protects them from the fly, but they then face challenges attracting a mate. This project examines the consequences of such extraordinarily rapid evolution (the change occurred over 16-20 generations) for the mating behavior of the crickets. The hypothesis for the ability of this novel mutation to become established is that pre-existing behavioral plasticity has enabled the silent crickets to achieve reproductive success. The mutation and its effects will be monitored in the field, and laboratory experiments will examine how early experience with the acoustic environment influences mating behavior. During presentations to university students and the public this research provides a compelling introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology and animal behavior because it features familiar animals ? crickets ? in an attractive place ? Hawaii ? evading an unpleasant ?Alien?-like parasite via natural selection, which then places the males in a dilemma with regard to reproduction.