Differential costs of social living in nature

Projektinformationen

SOCIAL COST

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 661340

DOI 10.3030/661340

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 15 April 2015

Startdatum 1 Februar 2016

Enddatum 31 Januar 2018

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Gesamtkosten € 183 454,80

EU-Beitrag € 183 454,80

Koordiniert durch

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
United Kingdom

Ziel

Group living is a common phenomenon in nature in a wide range of taxa. Studies in natural systems are central to understanding the evolution of social behaviour and systems. While benefits, such as reduced predation risk, and costs, such as increased pathogen transmission, are well documented for some species, many other effects of group living are poorly understood in natural populations. In particular, group size and composition, and individual social status might affect the level of social stress. Social stress can cause physiological stress in group living animals, including humans, leading to poor health or fitness reduction. The level of costs and benefits, as well as the optimum resolution of the resulting trade-offs, is likely to vary with social status and sex, but the nature of these differences is poorly understood. In this project, I propose to test in a free living sciurid rodent, the Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris), whether the costs of group living vary with social status, and whether this can be explained by physiological and molecular changes that influence longevity. To address these questions, I will use biomarkers of aging, involving hormone levels, oxidative damage and telomere loss. Combining the latest methods in measuring such parameters will provide a new understanding of how sociality influences stress responses in free-living mammals of different social status.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

• natural sciences › biological sciences › genetics › DNA
• natural sciences › biological sciences › biochemistry › biomolecules › lipids
• natural sciences › biological sciences › biological behavioural sciences › ethology › biological interactions
• natural sciences › biological sciences › zoology › mammalogy
• medical and health sciences › clinical medicine › anaesthesiology

Programm/Programme

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Thema/Themen

• MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF)

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

Finanzierungsplan

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Koordinator

UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW

• Netto-EU-Beitrag: € 183 454,80
• Adresse: UNIVERSITY AVENUE ; G12 8QQ Glasgow ; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Region: Scotland › West Central Scotland › Glasgow City
• Aktivitätstyp: Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
• Gesamtkosten: € 183 454,80