Alysa J. Remsburg, University of Wisconsin - Madison.   Effects of lakeshore vegetation on dragonfly oviposition site-selection behavior.

The influence of plant structure on distributions of non-phytophagous animals has been rarely tested. Two field seasons of pilot data, plus other published studies, indicate that many Odonate species (dragonflies and damselflies) select aquatic oviposition sites with tall riparian plants rather than sites with shorelines cleared for development. I designed an experiment to compare effects of vegetation height, appearance, and structural complexity on Odonate habitat selection behavior, territoriality, diversity, foraging success, and predation risk as plausible mechanisms to explain site selection. On one northern Wisconsin lake, I will establish four types of shoreline structural treatments: erected sticks, artificial plants, live plants, and no structure. I will use Multiple Analysis of Covariance to compare Odonate diversity, behavior, prey abundance, and predator activity in response to each treatment (n = 20). Observations of oviposition at sites with each riparian treatment will enable me to link adult behavior to larval distribution data. This behavioral experiment to explain observed site selection by Odonates can strengthen the case for their utility as bioindicator species for the land-water ecotone. My proposed study also provides a critical link between animal behavior and habitat restoration

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Katherine McHugh, University of California - Davis.   Functions of juvenile groups in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

The juvenile life stage is a vulnerable and formative time for developing mammals. While bottlenose dolphins are among the best studied cetaceans, virtually no work has focused on understanding behavioral development between weaning and sexual maturity or determining the selection pressures acting on the juvenile life stage. This study aims to fill in part of this missing piece by examining the benefits of grouping behavior for juvenile dolphins. Specifically, this project combines long term sighting data and focal animal observations on individually-identifiable bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida to test how predator protection, foraging efficiency, and socialization influence juvenile dolphin grouping patterns.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Kara Loeb Belinsky, University of Massachusetts.   Color and Song in Chestnut-sided Warblers: Redundant Signals or Multiple Messages?

Use of molecular methods, such as paternity analysis, has revolutionized our understanding of the evolution of sexually selected traits in socially monogamous species. Yet, we are only beginning to understand the evolution of multiple sexually selected traits, especially multimodal traits, such as plumage color and bird song. I plan to examine how the redundant signals and multiple messages hypotheses explain the evolution of multiple color and song traits in chestnut-sided warblers (Dendroica pensylvanica). I hope to use funds from the ABS student research grant to complete a paternity analysis, which will reveal levels of extra-pair reproductive success among male chestnut-sided warblers, allowing me test whether color and song traits function as redundant signals or multiple messages.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Sarah Benson-Amram, Michigan State University.   Social Complexity and Comparative General Intelligence in Mammalian Carnivores.

The social complexity hypothesis has been developed to explain the evolution of intelligence in mammals, particularly primates. This hypothesis proposes that intelligence evolved to deal with life in socially complex societies and predicts that species with similarly complex societies will evolve comparable levels of intelligence. I will test predictions of this hypothesis by investigating intelligence in two hyena species, the gregarious spotted hyena and the solitary stripped hyena. I will combine behavioral observations and results of playback experiments from several wild hyena clans in Kenya. Preliminary playback experiments on the study population of spotted hyenas have revealed marked sex and age differences in responses to neighboring female vocalizations. This suggests that spotted hyenas do possess some social knowledge similar to that of cercopithicine primates, and that social knowledge is sexually dimorphic and increases with age and experience. Similarities in social cognition between hyenas and primates will indicate convergent responses to the demands of social life and thus support the social complexity hypothesis. The comparative study of intelligence in spotted and striped hyenas will test the social complexity hypothesis in an alternative way by examining general intelligence in closely related species with drastically different social systems. This study will look at the evolution of intelligence in a novel way by elucidating functions of animal intelligence in the wild and the selection pressures favoring its evolution.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Christopher G. Brown, Vanderbilt University.   Do trichome-covered fecal cases protect Neochlamisus leaf beetle larvae from arthropod predators? A test of multiple mechanisms using N. platani.

No one has yet performed a fully detailed study that evaluates the possibility of an adaptive function provided by the fecal cases of the chrysomelid group Camptosomata. Larvae of this group live in and carry a tubular case made of their own waste material. Initially created by the mother, larvae carry, maintain, and enlarge the case throughout their juvenile lives. The cases of one Camptosomate, Neochlamisus platani, contain architectural aspects not normally found in other beetles, i.e. incorporation of trichomes into the outside of the case and trichomes stored in a special compartment within the case, the "trichome attic" (currently only known in this species). The objectives of this proposal are to determine whether or not the unique aspects of animal architecture found in N. platani cases individually or in combination provide protection from arthropod predators using three generalist predators of different orders and feeding habits. Continuous observation trials will allow the evaluation and recording of a range of mechanisms and behaviors associated with this fascinating example of animal architecture that may contribute to the survival of N. platani larvae.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Cindy Lee Carlson, University of Chicago.   Postcopulatory Sexual Selection and Female Reproductive Strategies in Pigtailed Macaques.

This study aims to address the paucity of knowledge about the ability of females to behaviorally influence postcopulatory sexual selection by studying the function of the copulation calls given by female pigtail macaques in the end stages, or after, copulation. It is hypothesized that females call to incite sperm competition and encourage mate guarding, and that copulation calls do not convey information about female fertility. Fecal hormonal assays will reveal the dates of the phases of female cycles. Copulation calls will be analyzed for variation across cycle phases to establish whether or not copulation calls convey information about female fertility. Behavioral data will be collected to determine the percent of copulations followed by copulation calls, and how it varies with female promiscuity, dominance status of the mate, and the number of males in the group. Male reaction to playbacks copulation calls will be analyzed to determine if their response lends support to the hypothesized function of female copulation calls.

Amount Funded: 500.00

David Cerasale, Cornell University.   Leptin: a putative role in the regulation of avian migratory behavior.

For avian migrants, events during migratory periods have significant impacts on survival and reproduction. Migratory journeys often entail long-distance flights of thousands of kilometers and are thus, energetically costly. Therefore, behavioral decisions regarding when to continue migration following stopover and when to interrupt migratory activity to replenish fuel stores are influenced by the extent of a migrant’s energy stores. The hormone leptin is produced by adipose tissue and putatively links energy stores to the brain. Although levels of plasma leptin affect foraging behavior and energy balance in birds, its role in the control of migratory behavior has not been investigated. The proposed research consists of captive experiments with Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) to examine if leptin is associated with metabolic state, how plasma levels of leptin influence foraging behavior and to determine the role of leptin in the regulation of migratory behavior. Migration is a critical part of the avian life cycle, but it remains poorly understood. Improved knowledge of the physiological mechanisms involved in the decisions regarding migratory behavior will aid in conservation and management efforts of avian populations.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Natalie Doerr, University of California - Santa Barbara.   Does decoration reuse allow male great bowerbirds to minimize the costs associated with acquiring decorations each season?

Recent theoretical work in evolutionary biology suggests that extravagant male traits should be costly for males to produce. Bowerbirds are an ideal group in which to investigate the relationship between elaborate male traits and the costs associated with producing those traits. Males build a stick structure, called a bower, and decorate this structure with hundreds of colorful objects. The costs associated with acquiring colorful objects are relatively unexplored; I have discovered that male great bowerbirds may reduce these costs by re-using decorations that they collected in previous breeding seasons. In this proposal, I outline an experimental approach to determine whether decoration reuse at great bowerbird bowers substantially reduces the costs associated with acquiring decorations each season. I removed all non-perishable bower decorations from half of the bowers in my study population at the end of the 2005 breeding season, and I propose to record the effects at control and experimental bowers in the 2006 breeding season.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Stacey Jo Dunn, University of Idaho.   Inbreeding in the National Bison Range, Montana Pronghorn Population.

The National Bison Range pronghorn descend from a small number of founders and are confined to a rather small, geographically closed area. Currently, the population size is at an all-time low. Long-term data on this population has permitted most individuals to be visually and genetically recognizable. Thus, now is the ideal time to study how the population may be affected by inbreeding and inbreeding depression. The objectives of this study are: (1) To establish a complete pedigree of the NBR pronghorn population, (2) To determine if females actively avoid mating with close relatives, and (3) To determine the effect of parental relatedness on offspring viability. The specific null hypotheses of this study are: (1) Females do not avoid mating with closely related males, (2) Females do not behaviorally reject courtship from closely related males, (3) Females do not avoid mixed-sex groups or harems containing closely related males, (4) Females do not avoid spatial association with closely related males, and (5) Parental relatedness does not influence offspring viability.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Catalina Estrada, University of Texas.   Antiaphrodisiacs, Sexual Behavior, and Mimicry in Heliconius Butterflies.

In order to decrease the risk of sperm competition, males from some insect groups transfer antiaphrodisiac pheromones that make mated females unattractive to other courting males. These are generally an honest signal that indicates female receptivity. I propose to identify the male-transferred pheromones of six mimetic Heliconius species (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) to test the hypothesis that species that have converged in warning coloration also display similar female antiaphrodisiac odors. Using chemical analysis and bioassays I will test female attractiveness to identify the compounds used as antiaphrodisiacs by males of these species. I will evaluate pheromone variation in a phylogenetic context and under strong warning coloration similarity. Given that males are strongly attracted to females by their wing color patterns and that heterospecific encounters are common, I expect to find similarities in the chemical composition of antiaphrodisiacs among mimetic butterfly species.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Clinton D. Francis, University of Colorado.   Avian nesting behavioral adjustments and vocal plasticity in response to anthropogenic noise.

The objective of the present application is to extend the completed one-year investigation on the effects of gas well compressor noise on nesting birds. The results from the first season are compelling: the avian community as a whole demonstrated a trend to avoid highly noisy areas, Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism only on control sites, and a higher nest success rate at higher noise levels due to a complete lack of predation and brood parasitism. A second field season is needed to verify the trends observed in our first season, and to further understand how the influence of noise impacts the pinyon-juniper avian community, nest predators and parasites.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Lucy R. Harrison, Simon Fraser University.   Estrogens in the sea: Impacts on sex changing coral reef fishes.

Concerns have emerged in the past decade about the presence and effects of anthropogenically derived estrogenic compounds (ECs) in aquatic environments. These effects include feminization of males, eggs in testes, female egg yolk protein in males and embryo deformity in fish with fixed sexes. Estrogens are involved in modulating natural sex change in a wide variety of taxa. Artificially elevated EC concentrations can therefore potentially interfere with this process and have significant impacts on hermaphroditic fishes. The aim of this project is to quantify the effects of ECs on the social and reproductive behavior of hermaphroditic fishes with contrasting modes of natural sex change. This will be achieved with field experiments on coral reef fish inhabiting patch reefs in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, where in a pilot study last year, I recorded estrogen levels similar to those that induce estrogenic responses in freshwater fish.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Kristine Kaiser, University of Miami.   The Effect of Noise on Female Mate Choice in a Neotropical Hylid Frog.

In most anuran species, males use species-specific advertisement calls (signals) to attract mates. Noise adds energy in different frequencies of a call, distorting the information encoded in the signal, and is likely to have negative effects on the transmission and the detection of a frog’s advertisement call. I intend to identify parameters of the male advertisement call that are important in female mate choice among conspecifics, and I will test the effect of noise on these preferences. I hypothesize that noise will decrease the discriminating capabilities of females and thus increase the frequency with which females choose the wrong mate (a mismating), and will obscure the parameters or her preference for the parameters that she would normally use to select a mate.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Karen M. Kapheim, University of California - Los Angeles.   The evolution of cooperation and social correlates of individual recognition.

Three main evolutionary hypotheses are considered to drive cooperation between animals: kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and mutualism. Kin selection and reciprocal altruism depend on individual recognition. This may depend on social factors such as group membership, association, or relatedness. Examining how animals differentially recognize and respond to conspecifics reveals interesting patterns about the role of specific relationships in recognition and social organization. I aim to test evolutionary hypotheses of cooperation in the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica). The first step, and the primary goal of my up-coming field season, is to investigate the social correlates of individual recognition in coati vocalizations, using behavioral data and controlled playback experiments.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Candice Leigh Kerling, Brock University.   Activity and Predator Avoidance in Rana sylvatica tadpoles.

My research focuses on the predator avoidance behaviours, specifically activity in tadpoles of the species Rana sylvatica. I will also examine the relative role of population genetics on this behaviour, and its efficacy in reducing predation rates under different predator community regimes. This research will be done through the use of artificial ponds, in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Tadpoles will be placed in one of three treatments: free predator, caged predator and no predator for a 24 hour period during which observations will be made on the activity level of tadpoles, and mortality (only in the free predator treatment). Three populations will be compared to see differences in behaviour and mortality in the presence/absence of three natural predators: Anax junius larvae, Notonectidae, and Dytiscid beetles. This research can help to provide insight to the predator-prey relationships that exist, and can lead to insight on the conservation of other anuran species in the area.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Stacy Marie Lindshield, Iowa State University.   The black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi ornatus) in a mosaic landscape at El Zota Biological Field Station, Costa Rica.

Anthropogenic landscapes are increasingly becoming the norm. The scientific community must invest in research to better understand the behavioral ecology of nonhuman primates, such as spider monkeys, that exhibit a mixed bag of results in disturbed habitats. This project marks the first attempt to study black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi ornatus) communities throughout a diverse range of disturbed and undisturbed vegetation in the lowland wet and swamp forests at El Zota Biological Field Station (EZBFS), Costa Rica. The proposed research constitutes the second phase of a spider monkey census that initiated in summer 2005. Distance sampling and line-transect methodology was utilized along areas exhibiting grades of anthropogenic disturbance, from a highly disturbed gallery forest mosaic to primary forest. An additional field season is required to monitor spider monkey density (individuals/km2) and acquire a robust data set for statistical analysis using DISTANCE statistical software. The spider monkey communities at EZBFS appear to be healthy and they opportunistically exploit the available tall vegetation throughout the study site. The conditions that make this behavior possible must be investigated in greater detail, given the endangered status of the species and the need to, (1) better understand spider monkey activity in an anthropogenic setting, and (2) increase efforts in spider monkey conservation policy and management.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Gustavo Adolfo Londoño, University of Florida.   Effects of temperature and food on incubation behavior.

The reproductive period of all organisms is a critical stage, affecting the fitness of individuals and the viability of populations. In birds, incubation behavior is a critical period during the reproductive cycle, as the adults must spend several weeks on the nest keeping the eggs at a suitable temperature for embryonic development. Bird incubation behavior is primarily determined by two factors: food availability and ambient temperature. Thus, my primary objective is to experimentally evaluate the interaction and relative importance of food availability and temperature on avian incubation behavior. A pilot project suggest two primary findings: (1) fewer trips were made to the nest in the “food+” treatment, and (2) when the females were off the nest, they spent on average more time preening in “food+”. These results suggest that food availability play a more important role in bird (female-only incubation) incubation behavior than temperature.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Kara Nuss, University of Chicago.   Behavioral and Hormonal Aspects of Pair Formation in Captive Goeldi's Monkeys.

The population of Goeldi’s monkeys housed in U.S. zoos provides an ideal study system to investigate pair bonding, as a number of new breeding pairs will be made in the upcoming year. Observations will be performed during and after pair formation to document occurrences of affiliative, aggressive, and mating behaviors. During this time, fecal samples will be collected from females to non-invasively monitor reproductive and stress hormones. Samples will be assayed for progesterone to track female ovarian function and evaluate the effects of exposure to an unfamiliar male. In addition, corticosterone assays will be performed to measure the stress response during pair formation and investigate the impact of stress on female reproductive functioning. Preliminary results from three females show some intriguing patterns, including a substantial drop in progesterone levels after pairing, but additional pairs are needed to verify these findings. Funding from the Animal Behavior Society would permit the analysis of three additional females that will enter breeding situations in the next year. By examining behavioral and hormonal profiles throughout the pair formation process, this research will help elucidate the mechanisms of pair bonding in primates and lead to a better understanding of Goeldi’s monkey reproductive biology.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Kendra B. Sewall, University of California - Davis.   Vocal Learning and Barriers to Social Intermixing.

My dissertation research examines the role of learned communication signals in shaping social associations. If learned signals are transmitted within groups in a way that maintains their stability over a long period of time they may serve as social barriers to intermixing and lead to discrete cultures or taxa. I am examining the hypothesis that learned calls are serving as social barriers to intermixing in red crossbills. The flight calls of red crossbills are ideal for examining the role of learned signals in shaping social associations because at least eight crossbill variants have been described on the basis of flight call variants, or “types,” within the species. The persistence of crossbill call types suggests that flight calls may be serving as barriers to social intermixing. For this hypothesis to be supported, adult birds should display life-long stability in (1) flight call type production, (2) behavioral discrimination among flight call types, and (3) social assortment preferences. Additionally, the learning of flight call type production, discrimination, and preferences should be directed so that young birds generally acquire the same vocal and social behaviors as their biological parents. My dissertation research supports the first two predictions. Adult crossbill call type production and discrimination are stable. The project I propose here will test the prediction that crossbills learn the same flight call type production, discrimination, and preferences as their biological parents, using a cross-fostering approach. Cross-fostering nestlings with adults of different call types will clarify how learning predispositions and social experiences direct call learning and contribute to the maintenance of discrete flight call types across generations. The proposed research on call learning will improve our understanding of the role of learned signals in shaping social assortment. In addition, it will detail the behavioral mechanisms of call learning, providing the context and groundwork for exploring the neural mechanisms of learning in a new and innovative system.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Zachary Stahlschmidt, Arizona State University.   Do Postural Adjustments During Egg Brooding Balance the Physiological Needs of Python Eggs?

Parental care is an adaptive behavior that is utilized by a wide range of vertebrate taxa and has considerable evolutionary and ecological significance. Traditionally, the collection of behaviors that make up parental care are accepted as adaptations in which increased offspring survival and quality outweigh costs to the parent(s)—i.e. a brooding bird loses foraging time by attending his/her clutch. However, because the needs of offspring are multifaceted and complex, specific behavioral components of parental care may be associated with both costs and benefits to the offspring. Generally studied in birds and mammals among vertebrates, one could better quantify the dynamics of the implications of parental care using a simpler model. A female python exhibits a brooding incubation period that is significantly characterized by a coiling behavior around her respective clutch. Tightly coiling around her eggs likely decreases egg water and heat loss but also decreases crucial embryonic gas exchange. However, brooding pythons periodically alter their posture by loosening their coils to address this dilemma. Therefore, I hypothesize that pythons optimize the benefits of brooding by behaviorally regulating the timing and extent of embryonic gas exchange, heat loss, and water loss. In addition, I will investigate to what extent females might use environmental cues to control the timing, duration, and/or frequency of changes in brooding posture. Findings from such a simple model would provide considerable support for the hypothesis that parental care requires a behavioral balance to maximize its effectiveness, and this balance is sensitive to environmental conditions.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Jonathan J. Storm, Indiana State University.   Here today, feared tomorrow: Maternal environment influences offspring anti-predator behavior in field crickets.

The proposal deals with an investigation of maternal effects on anti-predator behavior in the field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus. Preliminary data in the laboratory suggest that maternal environment influences offspring response to the chemical cues of the wolf spider, Hogna helluo. Future work will address whether maternal environment in influences survival and if natural variation in predation risk the field also influence offspring behavior.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Lisa A. Taylor, Arizona State University.   Bright male coloration as a sexual signal of health and foraging ability in Habronattus jumping spiders (Family Salticidae).

Color as an honest indicator of male mate quality has been studied extensively in many vertebrates, but to my knowledge the role of bright coloration in sexual selection has never been examined in any spider group. In several species of Habronattus jumping spiders, males have bright red patches of colors on their faces, while females are dull and inconspicuous. Males display this color to females during courtship, suggesting that it may function as an indicator of mate quality. I propose to test the hypothesis that this red color patch in Habronattus is an honest indicator of a male’s health and foraging ability. I will do this by (1) using correlational studies to determine if color and size of the patch are correlated with physical condition in wild-caught males, and (2) manipulating diets of spiderlings to determine if diet (and thus ‘good foraging’) has the potential to affect the quality of a male’s display at maturity. Given the diversity within the genus Habronattus, I have chosen four species within the genus with which to test my hypothesis. Color in spiders has evolved in a different ecological context than it has in more thoroughly studied vertebrates, and so the costs and benefits of color in spiders are likely to be quite different. Thus, this study will provide novel insights into the evolution of sexually selected colors.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Hannah M. ter Hofstede, University of Toronto - Mississauga.   The relationship between auditory sensitivity and defence strategy in katydids.

Given the intense selection pressure exerted by predation, factors influencing the evolution of antipredator behaviours are of especial interest to biologists. Two broad categories of behavioural defences are passive defences, those that decrease the probability of an encounter with a predator, and active defences, those that improve the probability of surviving an encounter. One factor that may influence the transition from passive to active defences is sensory sensitivity to predator cues. I propose to investigate the hypothesis that the ability to perceive predators is a prerequisite for the evolution of active defence and, given the costs and benefits, animals that are less sensitive to predator cues rely more on passive defences than those that are highly sensitive. The bat-katydid predator-prey system will be used to address this question. Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) produce calling songs to attract females, and gleaning bats can use these songs to locate them. It has been proposed that katydids produce short calls, with long pauses between them, in areas where gleaning bats are common as a form of passive defence. Many katydids are capable of hearing ultrasound, and therefore they could potentially hear the echolocation calls of bats and stop singing as a form of active defence. I will expose singing katydids of a number of species to echolocation calls of a sympatric bat, and determine intensity thresholds required to induce an acoustic startle response (i.e. song pausing or cessation). This will be compared to identical playbacks made to a neural preparation of these katydids to look for correlated behavioural and neural responses to predator stimuli. In addition, sympatric bats will be tested in a large, outdoor flight room for their responses to katydid calling song when it is played continuously vs. when pauses are inserted to determine the effectiveness of this potential active defence.

Amount Funded: 500.00

Matthew B. Toomey, Arizona State University.   Seeing red: the function of retinal carotenoids in avian color perception.

The colorful plumage of many species of birds is a sexually selected trait that reflects an individual’s quality as a potential mate. Individuals with the most colorful plumage tend to have the greatest pairing success and attract the highest quality mates. However, relatively little is know about how these visual signals are perceived by potential mates. The eyes of birds are complex and avian photoreceptors are coupled carotenoid pigmented oil droplets that act as filters enhancing hue discrimination. The exclusion of dietary carotenoids has been shown, in domestic quail, to reduce retinal carotenoid concentrations and alter visual function. Carotenoids in the retina have the same dietary origins as the carotenoids that produce the colorful plumage of many bird species. Therefore, carotenoids have the potential to act as a signal and affect the perception of that signal. The purpose of this study is to determine how dietary access to carotenoids affects hue discrimination ability in the House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). To do this I will bring House Finches into captivity, manipulate dietary carotenoid concentrations, and assess their hue-discrimination abilities with a behavioral test. The proposed study is part of a program of research where I aim to understand the mechanisms and functions of carotenoid accumulation in the retinas of House Finches. This study will guide the development of future studies that address the implications of retinal carotenoid accumulation for foraging and mate selection behavior.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Justin Charles Touchon, Boston University.   Reproductive Mode Variation in a Neotropical Treefrog.

Amphibian reproductive strategies have evolved from aquatic origins to a wide variety of specialized terrestrial forms. There are no previously documented examples of an anuran able to change reproductive behavior between terrestrial and aquatic oviposition. I have discovered a population of Hyla ebraccata, a widespread terrestrially-ovipositing neotropical treefrog, that lays eggs in the water. My proposal utilizes this unique opportunity to explore the selective forces that have driven the evolution of such a novel reproductive behavior, and more generally, of aquatic and terrestrial oviposition in frogs. I will test frogs from this population and two nearby populations for variation in shade-cued plasticity in oviposition site choice behavior (aquatic or terrestrial). I will also measure the adaptive value of aquatic or terrestrial oviposition behaviors in both shaded and unshaded habitats. I will measure the strength of selection on eggs at three ponds from terrestrial factors, including desiccation and aerial predators, and aquatic factors, including oxygen stress and aquatic predators. Finally, I will experimentally assess the contribution of physiological and ecological factors to selection on H. ebraccata eggs developing in the water. Collectively, these experiments will advance our understanding of how selection has shaped the evolution of terrestrial oviposition behaviors in amphibians, and how those forces are changing with anthropogenic influences.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Jessica Ward, University of Toronto.   The Evolution of Specific Mate Recognition Systems in the Brook Stickleback, Culaea inconstans.

Recent phylogenetic research based on molecular characters has revealed a deep genetic divergence in the brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans), suggesting that the species began to bifurcate approximately four million years ago. The two lineages were isolated in the Mississippi drainage (M group) and Atlantic drainage (A group), and have had minimal contact since that time. Preliminary investigations have indicated that considerable morphological and behavioural differentiation exists between the two lineages. Primarily focusing upon the latter, I wish to investigate how, and to what extent, divergence in the reproductive behaviour of the major lineages has impacted speciation in Culaea. Specifically, if male and female mate-choice is based upon the group-specific characters documented in my preliminary investigations, these sexually selected traits may be largely responsible for driving the speciation of the Culaea lineage. Reciprocal mate-choice experiments, necessary to determine the degree to which specific mate recognition mechanisms have been established in Culaea, forms the next step in the investigation of this hypothesis.

Amount Funded: 1000.00

Tyler Wilks, University of New Hampshire.   Dead Reckoning in the Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana).

The proposed study will investigate the use of a type of spatial navigation known as dead reckoning in the Clark's nutcracker, a bird in the corvid family. This bird has been studied extensively in the laboratory in the past decades and is unique for its impressive spatial memory. In past research the use of physical landmarks has proved to be an important in this spatial memory, but the role of information derived from the animals movements (dead reckoning) has not been surveyed. This proposed study will explore the dead reckoning capabilities of the Clark's nutcracker in a laboratory setting.

Amount Funded: 500.00