Female Gaze, Retinal Specializations, and the Evolution of Complex Male Courtship Displays in Habronattus Jumping Spiders

对复杂的动物视觉显示(例如，颜色、图案、运动)的研究使我们能够揭示信号和感知它们的眼睛的共同进化如何导致复杂性。在求偶过程中，异常五颜六色的雄性哈伯罗纳特斯跳蜘蛛会跳出精致的舞蹈，向未来的配偶展示动作、颜色和图案。虽然雌性通过改变脸部位置来对这些表情做出反应，但我们几乎不知道雌性在求爱时看什么，也不知道男性的表情是如何操纵女性的凝视的。为了了解这些显示器是如何进化来捕捉和保持雌性视觉注意力的，这项研究计划将使用最新可用的眼球跟踪技术和数字工具来研究雄性显示器和雌性凝视之间的相互作用，这些蜘蛛是火热的毛跳蛛，Habronattus pyrrithrix。然后，研究小组将把他们的工作扩展到另外20种哈布罗纳特人，以了解更广泛的显示进化模式。这项研究计划将使我们更好地了解动物如何通过复杂的视觉显示进行交流，以及进化如何塑造复杂的信号。此外，科学团队将利用他们研究的见解来丰富与社区合作伙伴的教育合作。这些合作伙伴关系包括为地区性公立学校开发和实施课程，以及与总部位于匹兹堡的非营利性组织Assembly ble合作，开发和实施以仿生学为主题的“超级英雄夏令营”和课后编程。Assembly是一家总部位于匹兹堡的非营利性组织，专注于通过将艺术融入科学教育来向市中心的年轻人传授科学知识。视觉系统的一个广泛特征是整个视觉领域的视觉能力的明显区域化，包括运动敏感度、空间敏锐度和/或色觉增强的区域。动物通过头部或眼睛的运动来补偿这种区域化，这些运动将特定的视网膜区域对准视觉场景中感兴趣的区域。这些凝视运动决定了动物在与视觉刺激互动时看到的是什么。然而，尽管凝视对动物的视觉至关重要，但我们对动物如何利用凝视来评价交流展示几乎一无所知。我们更不知道视觉显示器是如何进化来有效地捕捉、保持或操纵信号接收者的凝视的。这项研究将建立在目前对视觉信号和视觉系统共同进化的理解基础上，通过评估凝视显示动力学与哈伯罗纳特蜘蛛雄性求偶展示多样化的进化相关性。这项研究将使用凝视跟踪、视频回放以及对雄性显示器的数字和物理操作来揭示哈伯罗纳特斯斑羚物种凝视-显示器互动的基本特性。利用这些深入研究得出的见解，这项研究将使用比较的方法来测试关于哈布罗纳特斯属凝视-显示互动进化的更广泛的假说。

Studies of complex animal visual displays (e.g., colors, patterns, movements) allow us to uncover how complexity can result from the coevolution of signals and the eyes that perceive them. During courtship, the unusually colorful male Habronattus jumping spiders engage in elaborate dances that showcase movements, colors, and patterns to prospective mates. Although females react to these displays by changing where they face, we know almost nothing about where females look during courtship, or how male displays function to manipulate female gaze. To understand how these displays have evolved to capture and retain female visual attention, this research program will use newly available eye tracking technology and digital tools to examine interactions between male displays and female gaze in the Fiery Haired Jumping Spider, Habronattus pyrrithrix. The research team will then expand their work to 20 additional Habronattus species to understand broader patterns of display evolution. This research program will allow us to better understand how animals communicate through complex visual displays and how evolution shapes complex signals. In addition, the scientific team will use insights from their research to enrich educational collaborations with community partners. These partnerships include the development and implementation of curricula for regional public schools, as well as biomimicry-themed "superhero summer camps" and afterschool programming in collaboration with Assemble, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization which focuses on teaching inner-city youth about science by integrating art into science education.One widespread feature of visual systems is distinct regionalization of visual competency across the visual field, including regions of heightened motion sensitivity, spatial acuity and/or color vision. Animals compensate for this regionalization with movements of the head or eyes that aim specialized retinal regions at areas of interest within the visual scene. These gaze movements determine what animals see when they interact with visual stimuli. However, despite the fundamental importance of gaze to animal vision, we know almost nothing about how animals use their gaze to evaluate communicatory displays. We know even less about how visual displays have evolved to effectively capture, retain or manipulate the gaze of signal receivers. This research will build upon current understandings of the coevolution of visual signals and visual systems by evaluating the evolutionary relevance of gaze-display dynamics for diversification of male courtship displays in Habronattus spiders. The research will employ gaze-tracking, video playbacks, and digital and physical manipulations of male displays to reveal basic properties of gaze-display interactions in the species Habronattus pyrrithrix. Leveraging insights derived from these in-depth studies, the research will use comparative approaches to test broader hypotheses regarding the evolution of gaze-display interactions across the genus Habronattus.