The ecology and evolution of communication systems and mating strategies in temperate and tropical birds

雄性和雌性对繁殖的贡献往往非常不同。这就为影响动物行为的各种利益冲突和合作动机奠定了基础。鸟类发声行为的惊人复杂性既反映了冲突（例如：两个领土雄性之间为争夺雌性而进行的激烈对唱决斗），也反映了合作（例如：一对繁殖中的鸟类在巢附近协调地唱二重唱）。我和我的学生一起，使用基于现场和基于实验室的方法来研究冲突与合作的沟通行为和繁殖活动的野生鸟类。我使用新的理论框架来理解动物的发声行为和生殖策略，并结合创新的技术方法来测试该领域的假设。例如，我使用声学定位系统对自由生活的动物进行空间监测，使用交互式和多扬声器回放使动物参与现实的领土接触，使用智能标签传感器技术监测动物的社会互动，使用自动记录仪进行长期监测和生物多样性评估。在安大略，我和我的学生研究了黑顶山雀的雄性歌唱行为和雌性生殖决定。在热带地区，我们研究生态学和各种物种的发声行为和配偶选择的进化，重点是对棕褐色和白色弗伦斯，条纹蚁和长尾侏儒鸟的长期研究。我使用遗传亲子分析比较明显的生殖成功（幼鸟数量）和实现生殖成功（遗传后代数量）与男性和女性的声音行为。我的研究揭示了温带和热带动物的冲突与合作的演变，动物发声行为和生殖策略之间的关系，通信网络对动物生态学的重要性，以及新的生物声学技术对野外生物学家的实用性。

Males and females often make very different contributions to reproduction. This sets the stage for a variety of conflicting interests and cooperative motivations that influence animal behaviour. The astonishing complexity of vocal behaviour in birds reflects both conflict (example: an aggressive countersinging duel between two territorial males competing for access to females) and cooperation (example: a coordinated vocal duet sung by a breeding pair of birds near their nest). Together with my students, I use a combined field-based and laboratory-based approach to study conflict and cooperation in the communication behaviour and breeding activities of wild birds. I use novel theoretical frameworks for understanding animal vocal behaviour and reproductive strategies, combined with innovative technical approaches to test hypotheses in the field. For example, I use Acoustic Location Systems for spatial monitoring of free-living animals, interactive and multi-speaker playback for engaging animals in realistic territorial encounters, Smart Tag sensor technology for monitoring animal social interactions, and autonomous recorders for long-term monitoring and biodiversity assessment. In Ontario, my students and I study male singing behaviour and female reproductive decisions in Black-capped Chickadees. In the tropics, we study the ecology and evolution of vocal behaviour and mate choice in a variety of species, with a focus on long-term studies of Rufous-and-white Wrens, Barred Antshrikes and Long-tailed Manakins. I use genetic paternity analyses to compare apparent reproductive success (number of fledglings) and realized reproductive success (number of genetic offspring) with male and female vocal behaviour. My research sheds new light on the evolution of conflict and cooperation in temperate and tropical animals, the relationship between animal vocal behaviour and reproductive strategies, the importance of communication networks to animal ecology, and the utility of new bioacoustic technologies for field biologists.