Integrative Ecology

综合生态学

• 批准号: CRC-2021-00416
• 负责人: Mathot, Kimberley
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Canada Research Chairs
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=750745
• 关键词: Integrative; Ecology

Dr. Mathot's research program will use innovative approaches to study the way that animals manage and respond to uncertainty. Animals are constantly faced with decisions, such as where to forage, with whom to mate, and how to avoid predators, and all of these decisions involve uncertainty. Imagine a small bird in winter balancing the risk of starvation against the risk of mortality due to predation; if they detect a predator, how should they respond? Underestimating the risk of predation and choosing to stay in the area could result in increased risk of mortality due to predation, but overestimating the risk and choosing to leave the area could result in increased risk of mortality due to starvation. Not surprisingly, animals have evolved various means of coping with uncertainty, including investing time and/or energy to learn about relevant features of the environment (i.e., sampling), observing the behaviour of others (i.e., social information), or insuring themselves against uncertainty. A growing body of evidence suggests that within populations, individuals often differ in how they invest in managing uncertainty, but the causes and consequences of these differences are not well understood. Dr. Mathot's research program will address how and why individuals differ in the extent to which they invest in and act on information, how information is shared among individuals within groups, and the adaptive value (i.e., survival consequences) of gathering information to reduce uncertainty. To do this, Dr. Mathot will develop models, and conduct both field and lab experiments manipulating the level of uncertainty about key environmental variables including food, predation risk, and temperature, and tracking individual responses. Field work will be conducted in a marked population of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) which will enable Dr. Mathot and her team to track individuals throughout their lives to evaluate the consequences of different strategies for managing uncertainty on annual survival. Because information is necessary to respond appropriately to current conditions, Dr. Mathot's research program will provide critical insights on the ability of individuals and populations to respond to environmental change.

Mathot博士的研究计划将采用创新的方法来研究动物对不确定性的管理方式。动物不断面临决定，例如在哪里觅食，与谁交配以及如何避免掠食者，所有这些决定都涉及不确定性。想象一下，冬季，一只小鸟平衡了饥饿的风险与由于捕食而导致死亡的风险；如果他们发现捕食者，他们应该如何回应？低估捕食风险和选择留在该地区的风险可能会导致由于捕食而导致死亡的风险增加，但是高估了风险并选择离开该地区可能会导致由于饥饿而导致死亡的风险增加。毫不奇怪，动物已经进化了各种应对不确定性的方法，包括投入时间和/或能量来了解环境的相关特征（即采样），观察他人的行为（即社会信息）或确保自己的不确定性。越来越多的证据表明，在人群中，个人在管理不确定性方面的投资方式常常有所不同，但是这些差异的原因和后果尚不清楚。 Mathot博士的研究计划将解决个人如何以及为什么在他们投资的程度上有所不同，并在信息中共享信息以及如何在小组中共享信息以及收集信息的适应性价值（即生存后果）以减少不确定性。为此，Mathot博士将开发模型，并进行现场和实验室实验，以操纵关键环境变量的不确定性水平，包括食物，捕食风险和温度以及跟踪各个反应。现场工作将在明显的黑色山雀（Poecile Atricapillus）中进行，这将使Mathot博士及其团队能够在他们的一生中跟踪个人，以评估不同策略的后果，以管理不确定性对年度生存的不确定性。由于信息是对当前状况做出适当反应的必要信息，因此Mathot博士的研究计划将提供有关个人和人群对环境变化做出反应能力的关键见解。