Objective
Animal contests are widely studied by animal behaviourists and behavioural ecologists and there is a well developed framework for evaluating their functional significance. Parasitoid wasps in the family Bethylidae have proven ideal organisms to test predictive models (all of the predicted major influences on contest outcome-fighting ability, prior ownership and the way that individuals value possession of the contested resource - have now been successfully explored) and also in linking contests to other areas of basic (e.g. clutch size) and applied (e.g. biological pest control) areas of animal behaviour study.
The link between nutritional/physiological state and contest behaviour has rarely been fully explored. The purpose of this proposal is to evaluate a range of nutrients derived from diverse food sources (nectar and the parasitoid’s host) and their influences on contest behaviours and
outcomes. It is expected that particular nutrients may affect contest ability (termed Resource Holding Potential) whereas others may influence the value of the resource to a contestant. The relative importance, and interactions between these contrasting effects, will be explored.
Identification and manipulation of key nutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and other metabolites) will be achieved by metabolomic analysis and other analytical and biochemical methods. The influence of nutritional state on contest behaviour will be assessed by behavioral
observations. The cost of fighting behavior as influenced by nutritional state will be evaluated by real–time respirometry. The interdisciplinary approach of the proposed project will provide training opportunities in a range of modern techniques new to the researcher (metabolomics, NMR
spectroscopy, biochemical methods) whereas will provide a new dimension to the understanding of dyadic animal contests by investigating the effect of variation in nutritional state between competing individuals
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy absorption spectroscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology
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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-2010-IEF
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
NG7 2RD Nottingham
United Kingdom
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.