In the laboratory, rats and mice are used as models for understanding acoustic communication. However, our understanding of how rodents use acoustic communication in nature, where these behaviors are most relevant from an evolutionary standpoint, is limited. In the wild, deer mice (Peromyscus) produce a wide array of vocalizations, most of which are in the ultrasonic range. The long-term goal of this research is to use wild Peromyscus as a model to examine acoustic communication. The first step is to demonstrate the potential for a communication function of vocalizations produced by wild Peromyscus by establishing that they are common, species specific, structured, and vary in a predictable manner. This project will determine if production of vocalizations by wild Peromyscus is frequent and whether acoustic structure of vocalizations varies with individual context. Vocalizations from known, individual P. boylii and P. californicus will be recorded in the wild using an integration of remote radio-telemetry, thermal imagery, and an array of microphones. Project aims are to determine if there are 1) differences in acoustic structure and rate of vocalization between species, 2) differences in acoustic structure of vocalizations based on individual context within species, and 3) temporal patterns in vocalization production within species. This project is the first to investigate the relationship between individual context and acoustic structure of vocalizations produced by wild mice. Results will provide essential groundwork for advances in research areas in the field of animal communication especially as they relate to mating, territoriality, sexual selection, and parental care. This project will facilitate integrative training in the use of advanced remote sensing and classical natural history. The field component will train undergraduate students in a co-operative setting at the Hastings Natural History Reserve in California. The laboratory component will train undergraduate students, high school students, and high school teachers. Additionally, two graduate students will be mentored. The majority of trainees will be under-represented minorities. Results will be incorporated into existing upper level ecology and zoology university courses, and a successful community outreach program in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
