Collaborative Research: Scale and context-dependence of relative humidity to adult Manduca sexta behavior

合作研究：相对湿度对成年天蛾行为的规模和环境依赖性

• 批准号: 0923180
• 负责人: Goggy Davidowitz
• 金额: $ 32.74万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0923180&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Scale; context; dependence

Studies of sensory cues and signals mediating plant-animal interactions have tended to focus only on one scale (community or individual) and one context (attraction). Relatively little is known as to how sensory cues modify behavior across scales and in different contexts. In this study, the tobacco hornworm hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) will be used to address the behavioral roles of relative humidity in foraging choices at different scales (local, habitat and landscape) and contexts (sex, age, nutritional status) and how these interact (additively, synergistically) to modify transitions in nectivorous behaviors of orientation, habitat selection and foraging and their implications for moth fitness. Cross-disciplinary training will be given to atmospheric science undergraduates from Cornell who will not only model relative humidity profiles at the study site, but will come to Arizona to learn, first hand, how climactic variables influence biological processes. This study will also support an outreach program that uses insects to teach biological principals to 2nd grade students in specially designed workshops and classroom visits, reaching over 5000 elementary school students most of whom are minority and of poverty economic status. These students will gain hands-on experience as to the importance of water and humidity in desert environments, how and why insects behave, and that bugs are inherently fascinating. Over 70 Undergraduate Preceptors will be trained in outreach teaching and how to convey an enthusiasm for science to the general public. An outreach program at Cornell ('Insectapalooza') is focused on the extraordinary biology of insects, and will guarantee a strong impact of this project on the public in two diverse cities. The undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows will receive cross-disciplinary training in ecophysiology, behavior, pollination biology, nutritional ecology and community structure, as well as one-on-one mentoring in experimental design, manuscript writing and the oral presentation of scientific research.

对介导植物与动物相互作用的感官线索和信号的研究往往只关注一种尺度（社区或个人）和一种背景（吸引力）。关于感官线索如何在不同尺度和不同环境下改变行为，人们知之甚少。在这项研究中，烟草天蛾（Manduca sexta）将用于研究相对湿度在不同尺度（当​​地、栖息地和景观）和环境（性别、年龄、营养状况）的觅食选择中的行为作用，以及它们如何相互作用（附加地，协同地）改变食蜜行为的方向、栖息地选择和觅食的转变及其对飞蛾适应性的影响。康奈尔大学大气科学本科生将接受跨学科培训，他们不仅将在研究地点模拟相对湿度剖面，还将前往亚利桑那州亲身了解气候变量如何影响生物过程。这项研究还将支持一项外展计划，通过专门设计的讲习班和课堂参观，利用昆虫向二年级学生教授生物学原理，覆盖超过 5000 名小学生，其中大多数是少数族裔且经济状况贫困。这些学生将获得关于沙漠环境中水和湿度的重要性、昆虫行为方式和原因以及昆虫本质上令人着迷的实践经验。超过 70 名本科生导师将接受外展教学以及如何向公众传递科学热情的培训。康奈尔大学的一项外展计划（“Insectapalooza”）专注于昆虫的非凡生物学，并将保证该项目对两个不同城市的公众产生巨大影响。本科生和博士后将接受生态生理学、行为学、授粉生物学、营养生态学和群落结构等方面的跨学科培训，以及实验设计、论文写作和科学研究口头报告方面的一对一指导。