Objective
Social insects are among the great achievements of organic evolution and their societies represent a major evolutionary transition in life’s move towards complexity. Consequently, insect societies have historically held a considerable interest for both biologists and lay people. One particularly interesting and rapidly developing field for evolutionary biologists is the interaction between social insects and their parasites, because the unique features of social systems may shape parasite exploitation strategies. My proposal will use Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus of ants, as a tool to examine host-parasite relationships within complex societies. This fungus dramatically manipulates ant behaviour before killing them. Building upon my unique understanding of the ecology of ant manipulating Cordyceps I will expand to examine the phylogeny and biogeography of Cordyceps on a global level, with a special focus on manipulative traits (Pierce lab at Harvard). My objectives are to resolve relationships within the ant infecting Cordyceps, test the hypotheses that this group has an Asian centre of origin and test if it is ecologically specialised on certain hosts. I will also investigate behavioural manipulation in a phylogenetic context. The knowledge gained during the outgoing phase will inform a research program during the return host phase (Talbot Lab, University of Exeter), where I will examine the molecular biology of behavioural manipulation of ants by Cordyceps. As such, I propose a project that, in addition to maximizing my professional training, will allow me to combine ant-parasite evolutionary ecology with molecular fungal biology to address fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. This fellowship would facilitate further training and promote my independence upon my return to the ERA. As well as its potential to foster synergisms between a third country and the ERA, it will significantly increase my prospects of obtaining a faculty position in the UK.
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 evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology evolutionary ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology
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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.
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-2007-4-1-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
EX4 4QJ Exeter
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.