Objective One of the main issues in contemporary ecology is to understand how local and global changes in the environment affect natural populations. Recent investigations show that survival and fecundity are strongly affected by environmental conditions experienced during early life.. In particular, the conditions experienced by mothers and embryonic stages, can affect traits of individuals such as lipid reserves, or the latent ability to cope with thermal and osmotic stress. Therefore, important changes in survival, fecundity and population dynamics could be caused by changes in environmental conditions of the natal habitat, i.e. where the individuals are born as free-living organisms, but also, where adults mate and eggs/embryos develop associated to the mothers. In the marine habitat, climate change is provoking profound modifications of temperature and salinity, thereby affecting habitat conditions. Most marine animals develop through larval stages that disperse away from the natal habitat, but it is vital for the maintenance of populations that these individuals survive and recruit to the juvenile/adult stock. Maternal and embryonic effects on larval traits can be a source of variability in recruitment, thus acting as a conduit for local and global effects on populations. This proposal addresses the issue of the effect of natal habitat conditions on traits, survival and growth of larval stages. The project focuses on a key marine invertebrate, the shore crab Carcinus maenas, a predatory species native to the European coast, but invasive elsewhere. Following a comparative-experimental approach the project will study how egg and larval traits vary across different habitats and how temperature and salinity experienced by embryos affect larval traits, survival and growth. The gained knowledge will therefore give insights into the effects of global change on larval survival of marine invertebrates mediated by natal habitat effects. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculeslipidsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changesmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineembryologynatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyinvertebrate zoology Keywords Crustacea Na+-K+-ATPase climate change fatty acids habitat quality hsp70 larval development lipid classes mRNA expression marine ecology maternal effects thermal and osmotic stress Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008 - Marie Curie Action: "Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) Coordinator BANGOR UNIVERSITY EU contribution € 181 350,76 Address COLLEGE ROAD LL57 2DG Bangor United Kingdom See on map Region Wales West Wales and The Valleys Gwynedd Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Christine Davey (Ms.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data