Neuroendocrine control of phenotypic plasticity in birds

表型可塑性允许给定的基因型产生多种表型（形态学、生理学和/或行为学）。 鸟类表现出多种类型的表型可塑性，包括发育和季节变化。 在发育过程中，环境因素影响生理和神经过程，对生物体的行为产生长期影响。然而，在成年期，许多鸟类物种也表现出极端的季节性可塑性和多个生命历史阶段（繁殖，换羽，迁徙，越冬）之间的过渡，涉及截然不同的生理状态。 我的研究计划将解决鸟类如何利用环境线索来调节生理学，神经生物学和行为的发育变化。鸣禽提供了一个显着的研究系统，以解决这些长期的研究目标。 产卵和altriciality提供了很好的机会，实验操纵的发展环境。 此外，成年鸣禽在年周期中表现出多个生活史阶段（例如，春季迁徙、繁殖、养育、蜕皮、秋季迁徙、越冬）。 该研究计划的主要目标是： A.确定鸣禽发育压力对性状间发育相关性的影响机制。 B。确定性腺类固醇和糖皮质激素如何在季节性神经可塑性的调节中相互作用。 C.研究环境线索如何通过神经内分泌信号转导，以调整季节性生命史阶段（春季迁徙，繁殖，秋季迁徙）的时间。 这项研究将为表型可塑性的机制和进化提供基本的见解。这些知识对于预测鸟类如何应对全球环境变化尤其重要。

Phenotypic plasticity allows a given genotype to give rise to a variety of phenotypes (morphological, physiological and/or behavioural). Birds exhibit several types of phenotypic plasticity including developmental and seasonal changes. During development, environmental factors influence physiological and neural processes with long-term consequences on behaviour of the organism. However, during adulthood many bird species also exhibit extreme seasonal plasticity and transition between multiple life history stages (reproduction, moult, migration, wintering) that involve drastically different physiological states. My research program will address how birds transduce environmental cues to regulate developmental changes in physiology, neurobiology and behaviour. Songbirds provide a remarkable study system to address these long-term research objectives. Ovipary and altriciality provide excellent opportunities for experimentally manipulating the developmental environment. In addition, adult songbirds exhibit multiple life history stages over the annual cycle (e.g., spring migration, breeding, parenting, molting, fall migration, over-wintering). The main objectives of this research program will be to: A. Determine the mechanisms by which developmental stress imposes developmental correlations among traits in songbirds. B. Determine how gonadal steroids and glucocorticoids interact in the regulation of seasonal neural plasticity. C. Examine how environmental cues are transduced through neuroendocrine signals to adjust the timing of seasonal life-history stages (spring migration, breeding, fall migration). This research will provide fundamental insight into the mechanisms and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Such knowledge is particularly critical in predicting how birds may respond to global environmental change.