Objective
The cooperation displayed by social insects has intrigued evolutionary biologists since Darwin. However, the harmonious appearance of their societies hides many conflicts of interest that exist between individuals in the colony. Social insects are also perpetually engaged in competition over resources such as space, food and mating opportunities. The study of cooperation, conflict and competition in social insects continues to be instrumental in testing evolution and ecology theory. Social insects, particularly ants, mediate these three fundamental biological interactions via pheromones, but the precise mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of these chemical messages are just beginning to be understood. The purpose of the proposed work is to investigate the role of pheromones in cooperation, conflict and competition throughout the lifecycle of an ant colony. I will characterise the pheromones of reproductive ants and determine whether these substances signal an individual’s value as a mating partner (e.g. the quality of a male’s sperm, or a queen’s ability to resist disease) and allow mate choice. This research focuses on the least-studied form of competition in social insects: sexual selection and competition between males. I will also investigate the pheromones produced by queens in developing colonies. Queen pheromones are thought to signal fertility and elicit care from the workers (facilitating cooperation). The same chemicals may also inhibit worker reproduction (a potential conflict), but no previous studies have identified queen pheromones in ants and determined their effect on workers. The proposed research is highly likely to discover the first queen pheromone in any social insect apart from the honey bee. This research is highly multidisciplinary, utilising chemical analysis, electrophysiology, microscopy, immunology, genotyping and behavioural studies, and focuses on evolutionary questions that have received considerable recent attention.
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 ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology apidology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
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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-IEF-2008
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
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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.