Description du projet
L’impact des vagues de chaleur sur la reproduction
Les vagues de chaleur induites par le changement climatique posent un risque grandissant. Malgré la pléthore de recherches sur les effets du changement climatique, l’impact des vagues de chaleur sur la reproduction en termes de fertilité, de morphologie et de comportement demeure méconnu. Le projet HeatWaveSS, financé par l’UE, étudiera l’influence des vagues de chaleur le succès sur la reproduction et, en définitive, sur la biodiversité. Le projet cherche à comprendre comment l’exposition des parents influence la santé de leur progéniture ainsi que les conséquences à long terme sur les populations. Des populations de guppys seront exposées à des vagues de chaleur expérimentales pendant l’ontogénèse ou après avoir atteint la maturité sexuelle. Cela permettra d’évaluer les conséquences sur la morphologie, la fertilité et le comportement reproductif sur deux générations.
Objectif
Heatwaves are a current problem faced by society and are increasing in frequency and intensity under ongoing climate change. While many climate change studies exist, those investigating the consequences of heatwaves are scarce, especially in relation to reproduction. The extreme temperatures experienced during heatwaves are likely to have negative effects on many aspects of reproduction (including fertility, morphology and behaviour), thus for the persistence of populations and, ultimately, biodiversity. Therefore, studying how heatwaves affect reproduction is a key issue that should be addressed now.
This project aims to study how heatwaves affect traits important for reproductive success, to understand the long term consequences of heatwaves on populations, and how parental exposure affects the fitness of offspring. Experimental guppy populations (P. reticulata) will be exposed to experimental heatwaves either during ontogeny or after attaining sexual maturity (reflecting the unpredictable nature of heatwaves). The consequences on morphology, fertility, and reproductive behaviour across two generations will be assessed. The sex ratio of the populations (the proportion of males to females ready to mate) will also be manipulated, since sex ratios fluctuate naturally and importantly affect mating decisions and reproductive investment, and thus effects of heatwaves may differ according to the sex ratio of the population.
By investigating the effects of heatwaves at different levels, data from this project will offer unique insights into their effects on individuals and populations, thus contributing to our understanding of the consequences of climate change and the processes underlying responses to environmental changes. Through enhanced knowledge in the fields of behavioural ecology, reproductive biology, and evolutionary biology, the proposed project will contribute to the progress of the European scientific community, with potential applications in conservation.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biology
- social sciencessociologydemographyfertility
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesbehavioural ecology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesreproductive biology
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
35122 Padova
Italie