Objective
All organisms invest in nutrient storage to fuel energetic requirements needed for survival and reproduction. The consistency with which organisms invest in nutrient storage, in particular lipids, makes it remarkable that numerous parasitic insects lack lipid synthesis. The parasitic larval lifestyle adopted by these parasitoids has facilitated a means to carry over valuable resources from their host and allows them to refrain from costly investment in storage reserves. The lack of lipogenesis has thus evolved concurrently with that of the parasitic lifestyle in insects. However, several parasitoids deviate from this pattern, in which lipogenesis is recurring, suggesting that ecological conditions rather than evolutionary adaptations may underlie the lack of this trait. I propose to explore how ecological conditions affect the lack of lipogenesis in parasitoids, and the costs and benefits associated with this strategy. I will determine how nutritional conditions affect gene transcription and nutrient dynamics in two species of parasitic wasp differing in their propensity for lipogenesis. Biological systems will be experimentally pushed to switch their lipogenic strategy using flight to increase energy-demand and the ecological setting necessary to maintain lack of lipogenesis as a successful strategy will be determined using a modeling approach. This integrative study will be the first to identify the causal link between the molecular and physiological mechanisms and the ecological conditions that underlie the lack of an essential metabolic trait in parasitic insects. It will provide important insights into how shifts in metabolic regulation occur and function, and help to unravel how and when organisms can survive while lacking a metabolic trait that is crucial for survival and reproduction in all other organisms.
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 biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
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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-2011-IEF
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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
75794 PARIS
France
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.