Temporal Preferences versus Song Learning Across Populations of Ormia ochracea

EPSRC：Brendan Latham：EP/T517938/1这个项目将测量特定苍蝇物种‘Ormiaochracea’对各种蟋蟀交配歌曲的行为反应，以及来自地理上分离的北美苍蝇种群的行为反应。这种苍蝇攻击蟋蟀，以便它们的幼虫可以在蟋蟀体内觅食和成熟。它们通过跟踪蟋蟀独特的交配歌声来定位蟋蟀的位置。每首歌都有很大的不同，特别是在它的时间模式上(啁啾的数量等)。野外实验表明，即使所有的板球歌曲都是一样的，苍蝇种群也会表现出明显的偏好。苍蝇是如何优先选择不同的歌曲还不得而知。该研究项目将通过在实验室中测量苍蝇的喜好来解决这一研究差距。预计这个项目将帮助我们找出苍蝇种群是否根据特定的歌唱模式进行了不同的调整。

EPSRC : Brendan Latham : EP/T517938/1This project will measure the behavioural responses in a certain fly species, 'Ormia ochracea', to a variety of cricket mating songs, and from geographically separated North American populations of the fly. This type of fly attacks crickets so that their larvae may feed and mature within the cricket's body. They locate the cricket's position by following the cricket's unique mating song. Each song is very different, especially in its time-pattern (number of chirps etc). Experiments in the wild have shown that the fly populations will show distinct preferences even when all the cricket songs are equally available. How it is the flies are preferentially choosing dissimilar songs is not yet known. The research project will address this research gap by measuring fly preferences in the laboratory. It is expected this project will help us find out whether the fly populations are tuned differently to certain song patterns.