Evolution of insect learning styles and behavioural syndromes in response to environmental variability and reliability of information.

昆虫的学习能力因其具有重要的适应性而长期受到进化生物学家的关注。虽然学习有明显的好处，但在学习速度和记忆持续时间方面存在很大差异。一般认为，这些学习上的差异是根据特定的环境条件而进化的，比如环境的可变性和可获得信息的可靠性。然而，我们对驱动特定学习方式选择的环境和昆虫内在因素的理解仍然是初级的。提出的项目解决了这一知识差距，通过使用寄生蜂Nasonia vitripennis作为模型。该项目旨在阐明(i)环境信息的可靠性和可变性如何影响学习风格的演变，以及（ii）某些学习风格是否与特定行为综合征（即行为特征套件）共同演变。学习风格将根据学习的准备程度（慢/快学习者）、记忆的维持（短期/长期）以及运用所学信息的准确性来分类。我们将使用一个实验进化装置，其中寄生蜂将进化出不同的学习风格，以应对不同的人工环境，我们控制信息的可变性和可靠性水平。学习方式和适应性之间有直接的联系，因为学习方式将决定黄蜂在特定环境中找到宿主（蝇蛹）的成功程度。提供宿主的环境颜色的数量以及与特定颜色相关联的宿主发生的可靠性将有所不同。我们会在学习分析中监察：(a)在每个环境中出现的学习风格；（二）不同学习风格在不同环境下的觅食成功率；（三）学习方式与行为综合症是否共同演化。这些条件将在实验期间（至少15代）进行监测。这种设置将提供关于学习方式的成本和收益的信息，并为昆虫学习方式的进化提供见解。

Learning ability of insects has long held the interest of evolutionary biologists because of its adaptive significance. Although there are obvious benefits to learning, much variation exists in learning speed and how long a memory will last. It is generally assumed that these differences in learning evolve in response to specific environmental conditions like variability of the environment and how reliable available information is. However, our understanding of the environmental and insect-intrinsic factors which drive selection for a particular learning style is still rudimentary. The proposed project addresses this gap of knowledge by using the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis as a model. The project aims to elucidate how (i) the reliability and variability of environmental information affect the evolution of learning style, and (ii) whether certain learning styles co-evolve with particular behavioural syndromes (i.e. suites of behavioural traits). Learning styles will be categorized by the readiness to learn (slow/fast learner), the maintenance of memory (short/long-term), and the accuracy of employing learned information. We will use an experimental evolutionary set-up in which parasitic wasps will evolve different learning styles in response to different artificial environments that we control for the level of variability and reliability of information. There is a direct link between learning style and fitness as the learning style will determine how successful a wasp is in finding hosts (fly pupae) in a specific environments. The number of colours of the environment in which hosts are offered and the reliability of host occurrence linked with a particular colour will vary. We will monitor: (a) the emerging learning styles in each environment in learning assays; (b) the foraging success of different learning styles in different environments; (c) whether co-evolution of learning style and behavioural syndrome occurs. These conditions will be monitored for the duration of the experiment (minimally 15 generations). This set-up will provide information on costs and benefits of a learning style, and provide insight in the evolution of learning styles in insects.