The Genetic Basis of Boldness in Stickleback Fish

描述(由申请人提供)：许多动物，包括人类，都表现出一系列行为特征，这些特征可以被描述为“害羞-大胆”的性格连续体。行为特征，如愿意探索新的食物来源，在获得配偶时的攻击性，以及从压力经历中恢复的潜伏期，通常在整个过程中都是相关的。害羞-大胆的行为在群体内和群体中的个人之间以及群体之间都可能有所不同。这种变异可能受基因控制，但也可能受到当前环境因素、年龄或早期发育经验的显著影响。三刺刺鱼是行为和进化基因组学研究的模式系统，特别适合研究导致害羞-大胆性格类型变化的遗传和生理过程。实验将被用来确定来自不同环境的刺鱼如何对压力做出反应(捕食者遭遇)。来自没有捕食性鱼类的种群的刺鱼预计比来自有捕食性鱼类的种群的刺鱼更大胆。用实验室饲养的刺鱼进行的实验将确定遗传和/或内分泌差异是否可以解释害羞-大胆行为的自然变化。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many animals, including humans, exhibit sets of behavioral traits that can be characterized along a "shy- bold" personality continuum. Behavioral traits such as willingness to explore new food sources, aggression in mate-acquisition, and latency to recover from stressful experiences are often correlated along the continuum. Shy-bold behavior can vary both within and among individuals in a population, and among populations. This variation can be under genetic control, but can also be significantly influenced by current environmental factors, age, or early developmental experience. The three-spine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a model system for both the study of behavior and evolutionary genomics, making it particularly suitable for examining the genetic and physiological processes that lead to variation in shy-bold personality types. Experiments will be used to determine how stickleback from different environments respond to stress (predator encounters). Stickleback from populations without predatory fish are expected to be bolder than stickleback from populations with predatory fish. Experiments with laboratory-reared stickleback will determine if genetic and/or endocrine differences explain natural variation in shy-bold behavior.