Objective "Studies of cooperative animal societies have advanced understanding of social evolution but have also revealed great individual variation in cooperative behaviour and major life history traits, even among individuals of the same age, sex and social status. Research on laboratory mammals suggests that this variation may be explained by early life influences on development, but little is known about the function and mechanism of these developmental effects in wild mammals, or whether these effects are adaptive. We will address this shortfall in knowledge using both empirical and theoretical approaches. Our empirical work will use large-scale field experiments on a model cooperative mammal system, the banded mongoose Mungos mungo, to measure prenatal developmental impacts on offspring growth, care received, stress physiology, cooperation, health, cognition, aging and lifetime fitness. Our theoretical research will build on the recent economic theory of ‘skill formation’, and will generate new testable predictions about the coevolution of developmental responses and maternal and helper investment. The output of the research will be new insights into the evolutionary and proximate causes of individual variation in health, behaviour and life history in social mammals, and a new conceptual understanding of social development in cooperative organisms from insects to humans." Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiologynatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologynatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-SG-LS8 - ERC Starting Grant - Evolutionary, population and environmental biology Call for proposal ERC-2012-StG_20111109 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Host institution THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER EU contribution € 1 493 321,80 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter United Kingdom See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Gaynor Hughes (Ms.) Principal investigator Michael Cant (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER United Kingdom EU contribution € 1 493 321,80 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Gaynor Hughes (Ms.) Principal investigator Michael Cant (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
