Project description
Gut microbiota and cognitive differences in honeybees
The gut microbiota plays an important role in influencing cognitive functions, but much of the evidence comes from studies in humans and lab animals, leaving a gap in understanding how it affects non-human animals in the wild. In this context, the ERC-funded Micro-Cog project aims to bridge this gap by studying honeybees. Using reconstituted gut bacterial communities, researchers will explore how gut microbiota diversity drives cognitive variability and foraging behaviour. Honeybees, with their complex social structures, provide an ideal model for assessing the ecological relevance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This project will offer groundbreaking insights into cognitive ecology, neuroscience and honeybee health, revealing how gut bacteria affect cognitive abilities and ecological adaptation.
Objective
The animal gut microbiota is diverse, hosting multiple bacterial species whose presence and abundance differ between individuals. Over the past decade, evidence that the gut microbiota influences its host cognitive functions has accumulated but mostly relied on correlative studies in humans and laboratory research involving microbiota-free rodents. It is therefore unclear whether inter-individual variation in gut microbiota composition supports cognitive variability in natural populations of non-human animals. This project will leverage the honey bee model to bring ecological perspectives on the study of the microbiota-gut-brain axis while elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms by which gut microbiota diversity drives cognitive variability. Honey bees offer a unique opportunity to finely manipulate gut microbiota composition using reconstituted gut bacterial communities. Their social life fosters cognitive variability among individuals and provides an ideal system for assessing the ecological relevance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in a real-world context. The keystone of our naturalistic approach will be the implementation of mini hives allowing honey bees with reconstituted gut bacterial communities to forage in their natural environment. We will search for bacterial species and their metabolic products affecting the neural processes supporting cognitive functions and foraging efficiency. We will investigate the impact of gut microbiota composition and its associated cognitive variability on bees foraging behaviour and the fitness of the hive. This multidisciplinary project will provide groundbreaking insights into the fields of cognitive ecology, neuroscience, gut microbiology, host-microbe symbiosis, and honey bee health. Through this holistic approach, I aim to provide fresh perspectives on the interplay between gut bacteria, cognitive abilities, and ecological adaptation.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology cognitive neuroscience
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- 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.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
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.