CRU-I: Exploring the Ecology of Flash Communication in Photinus Fireflies Through Collaborative Undergraduate Research with Computer-Simulated Signaling Behavior.

Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg MA

Investigators

Abstract

Fitchburg State College is requesting funding for collaborative research project in order to 1) explore how male courtship behavior in Photinus fireflies is influenced by the behavior of conspecific and heterospecific Photinus fireflies as well as how this behavior influences potentially predatory Photuris fireflies, field mice and bats, 2) to develop new methods for investigating communication between organisms and 3) to provide interdisciplinary research opportunities for students of Biology and Computer Science at Fitchburg State College. Together these outcomes represent the broader need to prepare students who can think critically about experimental design and implementation and apply the latest technology to solving scientific problems. This proposal provides a vehicle to expose these students to the potential for scientific research and graduate study as an integral part of any career in the sciences by: By providing paid research opportunities for our undergraduates we will increase our ability to prepare these students for advanced study in Biology. Exposing students to research methods including the development and testing of hypotheses. They will have the opportunity to publish results and discuss their work with others at a national conference. Preparing students for careers in computer science by giving them experience in all phases of a development project from concept to deployment. Courtship communication in biological systems represents a rapidly growing field within behavioral ecology. While technology increasingly allows us to eavesdrop on these communication systems, simulate signals, and identify behavioral outcomes, this approach focuses predominantly on the behavior of the receiver in response to signal variation. An added level of complexity is involved when we attempt to monitor how the signaler may modify the signal in response to the behavior of the receiver. In order to incorporate this added complexity into our experimental designs we must simulate and manipulate the receiver's response to the signal. This requires developing microcomputer-based instruments capable of detecting and analyzing signals and outputting simulated behavioral responses. This type of system can also allow us to test how the interaction between signalers and receivers influences the behavior of conspecific and heterospecific organisms that are observing this communication. Conducting this type of research requires collaboration between Biologists who can provide an understanding of the elements of the communication system and Computer Scientists capable of designing appropriate microcomputer-based instruments. The experiments we are proposing with Photinus fireflies require microcomputer-based instruments that can perform real-time integration of behavioral data in order to produce simulated behaviors and to measure subsequent behavioral activity. Developing these instruments requires close collaboration between Biologists with knowledge of the behavioral repertoires of interest and Computer Scientists with the capability to develop appropriate tools. The objectives of this collaboration are to 1) develop systems that mimic communication between male and female fireflies, 2) refine these systems to more closely simulate the dynamic nature of flash communication, and 3) integrate behavioral data from other organisms to produce responses.