Project description
How beetles conquered the plant world
Beetles are the most diverse animals on Earth: they owe much of their success to how they digest plants. Some borrow microbial genes to break down tough cell walls, while others team up with microbes living inside them. In leaf beetles, losing borrowed pectinase genes goes hand in hand with the rise of digestive symbioses (different paths, same solution). Funded by the ERC, the SYMBIVORE project investigates why beetles take these different routes and how this affects their adaptability. Researchers in genomics, biochemistry and ecological studies will reveal how gene transfer and symbiosis shape beetle digestion, and how teaming up with microbes helped them conquer the plant world.
Objective
Herbivorous beetles represent one of the most successful animal radiations. The cooption of microbial enzymes is cited as a key innovation that endowed beetles with the catalytic tools to breach the plant cell wall and facilitated the evolution of remarkably diverse herbivorous habits. Beetles incorporated microbial plant cell wall-degrading enzymes either through horizontal gene transfer or symbiosis. This binary distribution is most evident in leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), where the loss of horizontally acquired pectinases coincided with the evolution of functionally convergent digestive symbioses. Prior efforts either examined the role of horizontal gene transfer or symbiosis in shaping the phenotypic complexity of herbivorous beetles. But a comprehensive approach reconciling both fields is lacking. SYMBIVORE aims to fill this gap by defining the metabolic requirements and determining the physiological and ecological conditions favoring symbiosis as an alternative strategy for beetles to deconstruct pectin. The proposed research is integrative and extends beyond the state-of-the-art by examining the adaptive importance of symbiosis relative to horizontal gene transfer across multiple scales of biological organization. From the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying symbiont acquisition, to the biochemical, physiological, and ecological consequences of outsourcing a key metabolic trait. Through comparative genomics, transcriptomics, structural biochemistry, bioassays, and nutritional geometry, SYMBIVORE will address the hypothesis that symbiosis upgraded the digestive physiology in a subset of beetle clades, thereby relaxing selection for these insects to endogenously maintain essential genes. SYMBIVORE capitalizes on the functional overlap conferred by symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer to define how these processes differentially shape the adaptive potential of beetles, Earth’s most speciose animal order.
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 genetics
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-COG
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NR4 7UH NORWICH
United Kingdom
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