Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Most animals exhibit some kind of behavioural display in order to attract mates. Birds, in particular, exhibit a wide range of behaviours ranging from the tail fanning display of peacocks to birdsong. This array of behaviours has attracted the attention of scientists for centuries and has resulted in a wealth of information regarding their evolution. The displays themselves are under the control of both sex hormones and the central nervous system, which interact to produce sex and species specific display behaviours. Despite the wide array of display behaviours in birds, most of the research on the endocrine and nervous control of displays has focused almost entirely on vocalizations and little is known about other displays. Recently, a group of researchers has discovered that a small Neotropical bird, the Golden-collared Manakin, possesses an array of endocrine, nervous and muscle adaptations that enable them to engage in extremely rapid wing movements. Whether the manakin is unique in this regard is, however, unknown. The North American Ruffed Grouse also possesses a rapid wing-beating display known as drumming and may have evolved similar neural and endocrine adaptations. Although a great deal is known about the basic ecology of the Ruffed Grouse, nothing is known about the neural or endocrine control of drumming. Therefore, I propose to investigate the neural and endocrine control of drumming in the Ruffed Grouse with two main aims: what brain regions and what hormones control drumming. The brains and hormone levels of Ruffed Grouse will be examined throughout the year to examine both sex and seasonal variations. In addition, comparative studies of other grouse species will reveal whether there are species specific adaptations in the neural and endocrine control of display behaviours and whether brain region size and hormone levels vary with mating system and/or display behaviour. The results of this study will yield valuable insight into how the sexual displays of birds are controlled by the hormones and the brain and how the endocrine and nervous systems have evolved in concert with one another.