Cognitive ecology of sociability and aggression

我们的认知生态学研究集中在回答两个主要问题，即决定动物认知特征的生态和进化因素是什么？动物的认知能力如何影响它们的生态和进化？我们的短期目标是回答以下问题：1。什么是遗传和神经生物学机制，以及调节社交能力的认知和行为特征，社交能力如何影响健康？2.男性对女性性侵犯的神经遗传机制以及认知和行为特征是什么？3.什么是遗传和行为机制和生活史权衡与毅力，定义为坚持在一个行动过程中，尽管困难或很少或没有成功的迹象？首先，我们将人工选择群居和非群居果蝇的复制种群。然后，我们将进行基因测序，以确定基因组水平的选择对社会性的反应，并使用进化的种群比较社会性和非社会性果蝇的认知和行为特征以及健身。 第二，我们最近量化了果蝇攻击的新形式和功能，包括求偶干扰，配偶守卫和性攻击。为了了解决定雄性性侵犯的遗传、认知和行为因素，我们将通过人工选择雄性谱系来进化，这些谱系要么强迫交配，要么不强迫交配。然后，我们将评估性侵犯的遗传学，并比较认知和行为特征以及健康方面的谱系。 最后，我们最近的两个研究项目，一个侧重于专业知识，另一个侧重于性侵犯，使我们探索毅力，定义为尽管困难或很少或没有成功的迹象，但仍坚持采取行动。我们将通过人工选择具有高和低毅力的果蝇谱系，然后分析它们的遗传和表型特性。 社会性、性侵犯和毅力是包括人类在内的大多数动物的特征。因此，我们的研究将有助于这些影响动物生态学和进化生物学以及人类社会的重要主题的基础科学知识。我们的工作可能对人类健康和福祉产生直接影响，因为认知和行为特征的遗传和神经生物学机制在物种之间高度保守。例如，最近关于果蝇社会缺陷的研究目前指导着人类自闭症的研究。

Our cognitive ecology research focuses on answering two major questions, what are the ecological and evolutionary factors that determine animals' cognitive traits? And how do animals' cognitive abilities affect their ecology and evolution? Our short-term objectives are to answer the following questions: 1. What are the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, and the cognitive and behavioural traits that mediate sociability, and how does sociability affect fitness? 2. What are the neurogenetic mechanisms and cognitive and behavioural features that underlie males' sexual aggression towards females? 3. What are the genetic and behavioral mechanisms and life history trade-offs associated with perseverance, defined as persistence in a course of action despite difficulty or with little or no indication of success? First, we will artificially select replicate populations of sociable and non-sociable fruit flies. We will then conduct genetic sequencing to determine the genome-level responses to selection on sociability, and use the evolved populations for comparing sociable and non-sociable fruit flies in cognitive and behavioural traits as well as fitness. Second, we have recently quantified new forms and functions of aggression in fruit flies including courtship interference, mate guarding and sexual aggression. To understand the genetic, cognitive and behavioural factors that determine males' sexual aggression, we will evolve via artificial selection lineages of males that either do or do not forcibly copulate. We will then assess the genetics of sexual aggression and compare the lineages in cognitive and behavioural traits and fitness. Finally, two of our recent research projects, one focussing on expertise and the other on sexual aggression have led us to explore perseverance, defined as persistence in a course of action despite difficulty or with little or no indication of success. We will evolve via artificial selection lineages of flies with high and low perseverance and then analyse their genetics and phenotypic properties. Sociability, sexual aggression and perseverance are features relevant to most animals including humans. Hence, our research will contribute to basic scientific knowledge on these important topics that influence animal ecology and evolutionary biology as well as human societies. Our work can have direct implications for human health and well being because the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms of cognitive and behavioural traits are highly conserved among species. For example, recent work on social deficiencies in fruit flies currently guides research on autism in humans.