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Resistance evolution in response to spatially variable pathogen communities

Objective

Pathogens are prevalent across all ecosystems. Given the threats imposed by pathogens on their hosts, the ability to resist infection is one key determinant of an individual’s reproductive success and survival. According to theory, resistance evolution is driven by pathogen-imposed selection and constrained by host life-history trade-offs. However, resistance evolution is traditionally studied within the “one host-one pathogen” framework, although it is becoming increasingly clear that a single host individual is exploited by diverse pathogen communities. Unravelling this diversity is the key to understanding selection for resistance, and the key aim of this proposal is to bridge this gap between theory and data. The specific objectives of this proposal are to: i) Assess spatio-temporal variation in pathogen communities and their determinants through community modeling; ii) Quantify the role of host resistance in shaping its pathogen community; iii) Unravel resistance mechanisms that determine pathogen communities by combining experimental and molecular approaches; iv) Quantify immediate and cross-generational fitness consequences that different pathogen communities inflict on their host, and v) Validate the experimental results by assessing how past disease communities have shaped host resistance in natural populations. This ambitious goal is now attainable for the first time because over the past decade my research group has amassed long-term data on hundreds of Plantago lanceolata populations in the Åland Islands, and an extensive genetic sample and seed collection that allow estimating past disease communities and resistance evolution through time. Jointly the objectives of this proposal will provide an unprecedented synthesis of how resistance functions and evolves under realistic pathogen loads, with far reaching implications for both redefining the conceptual framework for resistance evolution and for tackling real-world health and food security problems.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2016-COG

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Host institution

UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 988 041,25
Address
RAMISTRASSE 71
8006 Zurich
Switzerland

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Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 988 041,25

Beneficiaries (2)

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