CAREER: Perception of Asymmetry and its Role in Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology

College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

CAREER: Perception of asymmetry and its role in evolutionary behavioral ecology John P. Swaddle This career development plan integrates research and education activities to address a question of broad relevance to evolutionary biology while also giving undergraduate students opportunities to develop their own independent research skills. The plan adopts a multidisciplinary, novel approach to address whether birds can use asymmetries (i.e. small differences between the left and right sides of the body) as visual cues of fitness (e.g. when assessing each other as potential mates). These small asymmetries arise due to accidents in development and are believed to reflect how well an individual is adapted to the environment in which it grows. As larger asymmetries indicate more accidents, researchers have studied whether females preferentially choose to mate with symmetric males and avoid asymmetric males. If birds use asymmetry as a cue in nature, their key perceptual task is to discriminate asymmetry from symmetry. If they cannot do this, asymmetry cannot be a direct cue. Hence, this research addresses whether birds are capable of detecting symmetry across a range of different perceptual tasks that are relevant to the birds' natural ecology. Symmetry detection will be studied in two common bird species - European starlings Sturnus vulgaris and zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. The experiments are designed to assess what forms of asymmetry are relevant to the birds, what magnitudes of asymmetry can be discriminated from perfect symmetry, and also explore whether a symmetry preference can arise as a by-product of other perceptual mechanisms for object recognition (i.e. independent of any association between asymmetry and fitness). Hence, this research will contribute greatly to assessing the importance of asymmetry to evolutionary processes. Undergraduate students will be involved with all aspects of the work. My educational objectives are to grow a strong, productive community of undergraduate scientists through close mentorship and opportunities for independent research projects. My educational plans include several new initiatives to integrate research activities into my undergraduate classes - including problem-solving activities, debates, workshops, high-profile guest instructors, and several research visits to national museums and academic institutions. Students will also present their research with me at national and international conferences, and join me on several international research trips. These activities are designed not only to arm students with a greater array of research and cognitive skills, but also to increase retention in the sciences and help students to pursue future scientific careers. The efficacy of my educational plans will be assessed through rigorous qualitative and quantitative techniques.