Objective
Sexual selection is expected to generate intense directional selection on pre- and post-copulatory traits, however such traits typically exhibit considerable variation. This presents a paradox because directional selection is expected to progressively erode genetic variation in sexually-selected traits by driving them to fixation. Understanding how variance in male reproductive success is maintained, despite persistent directional selection for certain phenotypes, constitutes one of the major challenges in evolutionary biology. An increasing body of work shows that senescence is a biologically relevant evolutionary force, but its consequences at an evolutionary level remain poorly understood as it is a surprisingly under-investigated source of variation in reproductive success. The broad aim of this project is to study the role of ageing in the maintenance of variability in male reproductive success. The proposed experiments are designed to investigate the effects of sperm ageing and male ageing on male reproductive success with a specific focus on postcopulatory traits, using the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model species. I will investigate the evolutionary implications of sperm senescence by determining how ageing influences sperm performance and by identifying age-related damage to sperm DNA and structure. I will examine the consequences of fertilization by aged sperm on offspring fitness and I will study the effects of sperm ageing on sperm competitive fertilization ability. I will use a quantitative genetic approach to investigate trade-offs between males’ pre- and postcopulatory reproductive investment in relation to age, and reveal the genetic basis of such life-history trajectories. This work will provide new insights into the factors that maintain high variability in male reproductive success and the evolutionary process of ageing, thus addressing a key unresolved problem in evolutionary biology.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine andrology
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
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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.
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-2010-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
35122 PADOVA
Italy
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.