Dancing, drumming and singing: neural control of courtship behaviours

为了吸引配偶，大多数动物都会表现出某种行为。尤其是鸟类，表现出各种各样的行为，从展示孔雀的尾巴到鸟鸣。几个世纪以来，这一系列的行为一直吸引着科学家的注意，并产生了大量关于它们进化的信息。展示本身受性激素和中枢神经系统的控制，两者相互作用，产生性别和物种特有的展示行为。尽管鸟类的显示行为多种多样，但大多数关于显示的内分泌和神经控制的研究几乎完全集中在发声上，对其他显示几乎知之甚少。最近，一组研究人员发现，一种名为金领马纳金的小型新热带鸟类拥有一系列内分泌、神经和肌肉适应能力，使它们能够进行极快的翅膀运动。然而，马纳金在这方面是否是独一无二的还是个未知数。北美皱纹松鸡也有一种被称为击鼓的快速拍翅表演，可能进化出了类似的神经和内分泌适应能力。虽然人们对皱纹松鸡的基本生态学有很多了解，但对打鼓的神经或内分泌控制却知之甚少。因此，我建议研究皱纹松鸡打鼓的神经和内分泌控制，主要有两个目的：什么脑区和什么激素控制打鼓。一年四季都将检查皱纹松鸡的大脑和荷尔蒙水平，以检查性别和季节变化。此外，对其他松鸡物种的比较研究将揭示在显示行为的神经和内分泌控制方面是否存在物种特有的适应，以及大脑区域大小和激素水平是否随交配系统和/或显示行为而变化。这项研究的结果将对荷尔蒙和大脑如何控制鸟类的有性表现，以及内分泌和神经系统如何相互协调进化提供有价值的见解。

Most animals exhibit some kind of behavioural display in order to attract mates. Birds, in particular, exhibit a wide range of behaviours ranging from the tail fanning display of peacocks to birdsong. This array of behaviours has attracted the attention of scientists for centuries and has resulted in a wealth of information regarding their evolution. The displays themselves are under the control of both sex hormones and the central nervous system, which interact to produce sex and species specific display behaviours. Despite the wide array of display behaviours in birds, most of the research on the endocrine and nervous control of displays has focused almost entirely on vocalizations and little is known about other displays. Recently, a group of researchers has discovered that a small Neotropical bird, the Golden-collared Manakin, possesses an array of endocrine, nervous and muscle adaptations that enable them to engage in extremely rapid wing movements. Whether the manakin is unique in this regard is, however, unknown. The North American Ruffed Grouse also possesses a rapid wing-beating display known as drumming and may have evolved similar neural and endocrine adaptations. Although a great deal is known about the basic ecology of the Ruffed Grouse, nothing is known about the neural or endocrine control of drumming. Therefore, I propose to investigate the neural and endocrine control of drumming in the Ruffed Grouse with two main aims: what brain regions and what hormones control drumming. The brains and hormone levels of Ruffed Grouse will be examined throughout the year to examine both sex and seasonal variations. In addition, comparative studies of other grouse species will reveal whether there are species specific adaptations in the neural and endocrine control of display behaviours and whether brain region size and hormone levels vary with mating system and/or display behaviour. The results of this study will yield valuable insight into how the sexual displays of birds are controlled by the hormones and the brain and how the endocrine and nervous systems have evolved in concert with one another.