Objective
Arthropods can be infected by facultative symbionts with diverse effects on host reproduction and fitness. Cytoplasmic reproductive incompatibility (CI) appears to be the most prevalent effect, and is caused by two unrelated bacteria: Wolbachia and the recently discovered Cardinium. Bacteria-induced CI is of special interest as it may play a role in reproductive isolation and speciation of insect hosts. Reproductive barriers can arise also by incompatibility due to hybridization (HI). Cardinium-induced CI occurs in the parasitoid wasp Encarsia pergandiella, a natural enemy of agricultural pests, and may have important implications for its use in biological control. Indeed, CI may lead to a suppression of population growth when populations with a different infection status interact. Nevertheless, understanding the role of heritable bacterial symbionts in the biology of natural enemies has not yet been widely recognized as a key research objective of biocontrol programmes.
The project aims to: 1) evaluate the role of CI-inducing bacteria and genetic isolation mechanisms in reproductive isolation and competitive interactions of parasitoid populations; 2) evaluate how the introduction of a new biocontrol agent that is partially reproductively isolated (via CI or HI) from an established parasitoid population affects the biological control of a key agricultural pest. The project will use fundamental studies of CI and HI to develop quantitative models of population interactions, and then test model predictions in population cage and greenhouse studies. The data collected will be used to develop a conceptual model for biocontrol agents with different geographical ranges and reproductive incompatibilities in order to understand the consequences for biological control.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IOF
See other projects for this call
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.
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.
Coordinator
00185 Roma
Italy
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.