Revisiting the ontogeny of vocal learning in birds: from neuron to fitness

这个项目的目的是在野生鸣禽种群中测试孵化前的声音暴露直接影响基因表达、神经发育、行为和健康的假说。最近的研究表明，动物在出生前很久就能接受父母的声音信号，并可能利用这些以前未被识别的信号来做出适应性的发育决定。这个项目将量化对胚胎鸟类神经发育和发声学习的影响，采用一种模式鸣禽。这项研究的结果将改变我们对产前发声学习适应潜力的理解，这将对人类言语和语言的发展具有重大意义。

This project aims to test the hypothesis that acoustic exposure prior to hatching directly affects gene expression, neural development, behaviour and consequently fitness, in wild populations of songbirds. Recent research suggests that animals are receptive to acoustic parental signals long before birth and may use such previously unrecognised signals to make adaptive developmental decisions. This project will quantify the effect on neural development and vocal learning in embryonic birds, employing a model songbird species. The outcomes of this study will transform our understanding of the adaptive potential of prenatal vocal learning, which will have significant benefits for human speech and language development.