DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Proximate and ultimate benefits of group living in Belding's ground squirrels

论文研究：贝尔丁地松鼠群居的近期和最终效益

• 批准号: 1210515
• 负责人: Jill Mateo
• 金额: $ 1.48万
• 依托单位: University of Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1210515&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Proximate; ultimate; benefits

Animals can benefit from living in social groups for many reasons. For example, individuals living in a group can share the burden of finding food resources, watching for predators and caring for offspring. However, we know very little about the physiological mechanisms that contribute to social advantages. This project will address this deficiency by evaluating the relationships among stress hormones, immune function, behavior, survival and kinship in Belding?s ground squirrels. Specifically, this project will test how living near kin or non-kin affects stress hormones and immune function as well as how increased stress hormones change predation risk. Captive experiments will be conducted with wild-caught squirrels and will measure genetic relatedness, hormone levels and immune function with laboratory assays. It is predicted that individuals living with kin will exhibit reduced stress hormones, increased immune function and will perceive reduced predation risk. It is also predicted that individuals with experimentally increased stress hormone levels will perceive greater predation risk. This research will have broader impacts because it will improve our understanding of how physiology shapes social benefits. This is relevant to all social vertebrates, including humans, because they all share the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis that regulates stress responses. In addition, this research program has a strong history of outreach. Two undergraduates and two field assistants will be trained in behavioral, ecological and laboratory techniques. In addition, the results of this research will be used to teach urban Chicago youth about behavioral research and the scientific method.

由于许多原因，动物可以从社会群体中受益。例如，居住在一个小组中的个人可以分担寻找食物资源，观察掠食者和照顾后代的负担。但是，我们对有助于社会优势的生理机制知之甚少。该项目将通过评估贝尔丁的地松鼠中应力激素，免疫功能，行为，生存和亲属关系来解决这种缺陷。具体而言，该项目将测试亲属或非金属附近的生活如何影响应激激素和免疫功能，以及增加的应力激素如何改变捕食风险。圈养实验将用野生的松鼠进行，并将通过实验室测定测量遗传相关性，激素水平和免疫功能。据预测，患有亲属的人会表现出降低的应力激素，增加免疫功能，并会发现捕食风险降低。还可以预测，具有实验性增加的压力激素水平的个体将感觉到更大的捕食风险。这项研究将产生更广泛的影响，因为它将提高我们对生理学如何塑造社会利益的理解。这与包括人类在内的所有社会脊椎动物有关，因为它们都共享调节压力反应的下丘脑垂体肾上腺轴。此外，该研究计划具有悠久的外展历史。两名本科生和两名野外助手将接受行为，生态和实验室技术的培训。此外，这项研究的结果将用于教芝加哥城市青年有关行为研究和科学方法。