Behavioural ecology, social networks and parasite-host interactions

行为生态学、社交网络和寄生虫-宿主相互作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-03913
• 负责人: Ruckstuhl, Kathreen
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=710740
• 关键词: Behavioural; ecology; social; networks; parasite

Little is known about the effects of individual behaviour on social networks, and disease flow within populations. Group-living species do not mingle randomly but have a social network (whom they associate with, the strength of associations, the number of associates they have, etc.) that can be associated with fitness and survival. My research focuses on the behavioural ecology of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and other vertebrates. The objectives of my proposed research are: 1) understanding and researching individual behaviour, in particular mate choice 2) exploring how sexual differences in behaviour and ecology impact the larger social network and sex differences in exposure to and transmission of parasites and disease; 3) how parasites affect life history traits, and behavior affects parasite loads and diversity. I study various processes from individual decisions to their effects on entire populations. Females of many species often mate with more than one male during a breeding attempt, even though they cannot increase the number of their offspring. The prevailing hypotheses are that females should select good genes for their offspring, avoid infanticide, produce sexy sons, or get access to resources that their mates control. Females might choose mates with compatible genotypes to avoid inbreeding and increase survival in offspring. Offspring from compatible partners would be better able to resist disease and parasites. Males are expected to be less selective in their mate choice, since they can mate with multiple females, thus siring more offspring. Female bighorn sheep are no exception. Although they only have one offspring per year they typically mate with multiple males during their receptive cycle. Female sheep should thus be more choosy than males. We are exploring both male and female mate choice in a game theory model using bighorn sheep data. Some sheep leave their home range to breed elsewhere, returning after the rut. It is not clear why they leave and where they go, but it is expected that males and females have different motivations and different extents to their migrations. Males likely travel further and come into contact with more mates than females. In bighorn sheep, for example, males are more social and their groups more cohesive than female groups. As such, males that are migrating or switching between groups, could expose themselves and thus females to parasites and disease. My overarching research goal is to investigate to what extent, and in what ways males and females contribute to gene and disease flow within the larger population. We are exploring sex differences in parasite intensity and diversity. In some species males are the shedders and spreaders of parasites. We are researching to what degree parasites change the life history of their host, whether or not the sexes differ in their vulnerability to parasites and how these combined with behavior can affect host fitness.

人们对个人行为对社交网络的影响以及疾病在人群中的传播知之甚少。群居物种不会随机混合，而是拥有一个与适应性和生存相关的社交网络（它们与谁交往、交往的强度、交往的数量等）。我的研究重点是落基山大角羊和其他脊椎动物的行为生态学。我提出的研究目标是：1）理解和研究个人行为，特别是择偶；2）探索行为和生态中的性别差异如何影响更大的社交网络，以及寄生虫和疾病的接触和传播方面的性别差异； 3）寄生虫如何影响生活史特征，行为如何影响寄生虫数量和多样性。 我研究从个人决策到其对整个群体的影响的各种过程。许多物种的雌性在一次繁殖尝试中经常与多个雄性交配，尽管它们不能增加后代的数量。普遍的假设是，雌性应该为后代选择良好的基因，避免杀婴，生下性感的儿子，或者获得配偶控制的资源。雌性可能会选择具有兼容基因型的伴侣，以避免近亲繁殖并提高后代的存活率。兼容的伴侣的后代将能够更好地抵抗疾病和寄生虫。预计雄性在择偶时不会那么挑剔，因为它们可以与多个雌性交配，从而繁衍更多的后代。雌性大角羊也不例外。尽管它们每年只产生一个后代，但它们通常在受精周期内与多个雄性交配。因此，母羊应该比公羊更加挑剔。我们正在使用大角羊数据在博弈论模型中探索雄性和雌性的配偶选择。有些羊离开自己的栖息地到别处繁殖，发情后又返回。目前尚不清楚它们为何离开以及前往何处，但预计男性和女性的迁徙动机和程度不同。雄性可能比雌性走得更远，接触到的配偶也更多。例如，在大角羊中，雄性比雌性群体更具社交性，其群体也更具凝聚力。因此，在群体之间迁徙或转换的雄性可能会使自己以及雌性暴露于寄生虫和疾病之下。 我的首要研究目标是调查男性和女性在多大程度上以及以何种方式对更大人群中的基因和疾病流动做出贡献。我们正在探索寄生虫强度和多样性的性别差异。在某些物种中，雄性是寄生虫的排出者和传播者。我们正在研究寄生虫在多大程度上改变了宿主的生活史，性别对寄生虫的脆弱性是否存在差异，以及这些与行为相结合如何影响宿主的健康。