Objective
"A key principle in the evolutionary ecology of disease is the degree to which hosts invest in defence against parasites and pathogens. Established concepts in this area include (1) that disease risk is a function of host density and (2) that risk of disease leads to selection on the host to minimize the potential costs of disease. A clear prediction that arises from these concepts is that hosts living at high densities should invest more in defence than those living at low densities: a hypothesis known as “positive density-dependent prophylaxis” (DDP). For the past three years I have studied the African armyworm system (Spodoptera exempta), a devastating crop pest which expresses an extreme form of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity positive-DDP in response to host crowding. An equally destructive agricultural pest, the Australian Plague Locust (APL), Chortoicetes terminifera, has been suggested to exhibit “negative-DDP”, with certain key immune functions shown to be lower in gregarious than in the solitary insects. This project will attempt to determine why species with similar migratory activity appear to have evolved contrary behavioural and immunological strategies to combat disease transmission. The APL is an ideal model system to study the effects of crowding and migration, occurring in a socio-politically stable continent, allowing state-of-the-art field and laboratory experimentation. I will use my knowledge of migratory host-pathogen dynamics and expertise in experimental biology to investigate three main objectives, a) to determine the spatial and temporal pattern of natural disease epizootics in APL populations, b) to compare immune function and disease resistance in gregarious and solitary locusts, and c) to quantify the impact of protein availability on immune function, host behaviour and disease resistance. This research will contribute to the knowledge-base in global food security and nutrition biology."
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
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology evolutionary ecology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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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-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
LA1 4YW LANCASTER
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.