Collaborative Research: Toward a Spatially-Explicit Theory of Thermoregulatory Behavior

合作研究：建立温度调节行为的空间显式理论

• 批准号: 0616176
• 负责人: Michael Sears
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2009-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0616176&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Toward; Spatially; Explicit

A wealth of evidence suggests many animals behaviorally thermoregulate, but only one model exists to explain why some animals regulate precisely and other do so poorly. This simple cost-benefit model of thermoregulation does not seem to account for the diversity of thermoregulatory strategies observed among organisms. Likely, this model fails because it does not explicitly account for the spatial structure of the environment. The investigators will combine experimental and theoretical work to show that spatial structure has important consequences for the fitness cost of thermoregulation. They will independently manipulate environmental temperatures and environmental patchiness to test predictions about thermoregulation in outdoor enclosures. Fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) are expected to adjust their body temperatures according to both the statistical and the spatial distributions of environmental temperatures. This experiment will provide one of the strongest experimental tests of the cost-benefit model of thermoregulation. The investigators will also develop a spatially-explicit model of thermoregulation that enables researchers to predict behavior in natural environments, where predators, competitors and prey covary with thermal resources. The model will consist of computer simulations to explore both the thermal preferences and the movement patterns that evolve in particular environments. The researchers will ultimately be able to apply their model using thermal maps of natural environments, produced by artificial neural networks. The project will provide a vastly improved test of the current theory of thermoregulation, and expand theory by explicitly including costs of thermoregulation that arise from spatial structure. The new theory will enable researchers to predict behavioral strategies in complex environments, which include spatial structure and biotic interactions. The project will also make significant contributions to the missions of research and education at Indiana State University, Southern Illinois University, and beyond. First, the project will support the training of students who are members of under-represented groups at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Second, the project will enhance education and outreach opportunities for high school teachers. Third, the project will foster cross-institutional workshops on computer modeling of physiological and behavioral ecology, which will provide formal opportunities for interaction among graduate students and faculty.

大量证据表明，许多动物在行为上进行了热管调节，但是只有一个模型可以解释为什么某些动物会精确调节和其他动物的作用很差。这种简单的体温调节模型似乎并不能说明生物体中观察到的温度调节策略的多样性。该模型可能会失败，因为它没有明确说明环境的空间结构。研究人员将结合实验和理论工作，以表明空间结构对体温调节的适应性成本具有重要影响。他们将独立操纵​​环境温度和环境斑点，以测试有关室外围栏温度调节的预测。栅栏蜥蜴（Sceloporus udulatus）有望根据环境温度的统计和空间分布来调整其体温。该实验将提供热调节成本效益模型的最强实验测试之一。研究人员还将开发一个在空间上解释的热调节模型，使研究人员能够预测自然环境中的行为，在这种情况下，捕食者，竞争者和猎物与热资源相比。该模型将由计算机模拟组成，以探索在特定环境中进化的热偏好和运动模式。研究人员最终将能够使用人工神经网络生成的自然环境的热图应用模型。该项目将对当前的热调节理论提供大大改进的检验，并明确扩展理论，包括由空间结构产生的热调节成本。新理论将使研究人员能够预测复杂环境中的行为策略，包括空间结构和生物相互作用。该项目还将为印第安纳州立大学，伊利诺伊州大学及其他地区的研究和教育任务做出重大贡献。首先，该项目将支持本科和研究生级别代表性不足小组成员的学生的培训。其次，该项目将为高中教师增强教育和外展机会。第三，该项目将促进有关生理和行为生态计算机建模的跨机构研讨会，该研讨会将为研究生和教职员工之间的互动提供正式的机会。