Objective
"A major outstanding challenge for evolutionary biology is to explain how novel adaptations arise. We propose to test whether developmental plasticity initiates evolutionary change in morphological, behavioural and social traits, using laboratory experiments, fieldwork and comparative analyses.
Using burying beetles Nicrophorus spp as our model experimental system, we shall:
1) Test whether variation in parental provisioning during development induces correlated phenotypic change in adult body size and a suite of life history traits; whether these phenotypic changes can be genetically accommodated under experimental evolution (the Baldwin Effect); and whether changes induced by experimental evolution mimic natural variation in adult body size and life history strategy among Nicrophorus species;
2) Test whether parental provisioning has a canalizing effect on the developmental environment, potentially storing up cryptic genetic variation which might then be released as random new phenotypes, if offspring are exposed to a new developmental environment;
3) Investigate whether developmental trade-offs, induced by under-provisioning from parents, provide the first step towards the evolution of a novel interspecific mutualism. Is a second species recruited in adulthood to carry out the function of a structure that was under-nourished during development?
4) Using comparative analyses of data from the literature on insects, frogs, birds and mammals, we shall test whether the evolution of parental provisioning in a given lineage is positively correlated with the number of species in the lineage.
Our proposal is original in focusing on developmental plasticity induced by variation in parental provisioning. Given the diverse and numerous species that provision their young, including several whose genomes have now been sequenced, this potentially opens up a rich new area for future work on the developmental mechanisms underlying evolutionary innovations."
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 biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
ERC-2012-StG_20111109
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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.
Host institution
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
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.