Sensory ecology of acoustic communication: implications of a changing environment

我的中心研究项目集中在感官刺激的作用，主要是听觉和机械感觉，在感官生态学和鱼类的进化。我们对鱼类如何处理感觉信号以及鱼类在自然环境中如何使用这种感觉信息有着根本的兴趣。除了我们在感觉神经行为学的基本研究问题，我的实验室也越来越感兴趣的是人为影响如何影响感觉处理和检测，以及这些可能对鱼类群落和种群产生什么影响。重要的是，不仅要记录人类活动对环境的影响，而且要评估不同物种应对这些影响的方式。通过将动物的自然感觉生态学与人类对感觉过程的影响相结合，我们可以更好地理解感觉系统的进化，并为人类的影响提供重要的背景。在接下来的5年里，我的研究将遵循这两个互补的轨道，以更好地了解鱼类的感官功能，并更好地量化人类活动对鱼类健康和种群的影响。我们将通过三个主要的短期目标来进行这项研究：1）感官生态学和声学通信的整合; 2）人为噪音对鱼类健康和健身的影响; 3）对环境压力的感官和行为灵活性。目标1将使用比较的方法来了解声音输入如何在神经水平上整合，以及声音产生的变化如何影响生物体水平上的生殖决策。目标2将量化自然和人为输入的水下声景，然后使用回放实验来测试这些声源对鱼类适应度的影响。目标3将联合收割机从目标1和2收集的信息，以测试环境压力对鱼类行为和适应性的重要性，以及一些物种是否可以灵活地改变其行为动力学或用于改善这些感官压力影响的初级感觉系统。我们多管齐下的方法不仅可以更好地将鱼类的感官生物学与不断变化的环境的影响相结合，而且还可以通过培训他们的多样化技能来大大提高我的HQP的培训。我的学生在声学，神经科学，视频分析，显微解剖，荧光成像，MATLAB编程和统计学方面训练有素，为他们的职业生涯的下一阶段提供了宝贵的技能。

My central research program focuses on the role of sensory stimuli, primarily auditory and mechanosensory, in the sensory ecology and evolution of fishes. We have a fundamental interest in how fish process sensory signals and how this sensory information is used by the fish in its natural environment. In addition to our basic research questions in sensory neuroethology, my lab is also increasingly interested in how anthropogenic influences affect sensory processing and detection and what impacts these may have on fish communities and populations. It is important not only to document impacts of anthropogenic inputs to environments but also to assess ways in which different species may be able to respond to these impacts. By combining work on the natural sensory ecology of animals with human impacts on sensory processes we can better understand the evolution of sensory systems as well as provide important context to human influences. For the next 5 years, my research will follow these two complementary tracks to better understand sensory function of fishes and to also better quantify expected effects of increasing anthropogenic influences on fish health and populations. We will approach this research with three main short-term objectives:1) sensory ecology and integration of acoustic communication; 2) anthropogenic noise effects on fish health and fitness; and 3) sensory and behavioural flexibility in response to environmental stressors. Aim 1 will use a comparative approach to understand how sound inputs are integrated at the neural level and how variations in sound production may affect reproductive decisions at the organismal level. Aim 2 will quantify the underwater soundscape for both natural and anthropogenic inputs and then use playback experiments to test the effects of these sound sources on fish fitness. Aim 3 will combine information gleaned from aims 1 and 2 to test the importance of environmental stressors on fish behaviour and fitness and whether some species may have the flexibility to alter their behavioural dynamics or primary sensory systems used to allow amelioration of effects of these sensory stressors. Our multipronged approach not only works to better integrate fish sensory biology with effects of a changing environment but also greatly enhances the training of my HQP by training them with a diverse skill set. My students are highly trained in acoustics, neuroscience, video analysis, microdissection, fluorescent imaging, MATLAB programming and statistics, given them a valued skill set for the next stages of their careers.