Objective Under pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis, physiological, behavioural, and life history traits covary along the slow–fast pace-of-life axis. The POLS concept has been recently applied within species and populations, to studying individual-level variation in physiological, behavioural and life-history strategies. One critical environmental feature that has curiously been completely overlooked in POLS framework is the urbanization gradient (UG). Studies of urban animal ecology have so far concentrated on a few traits at a time, and a systematic approach to urban life-history and physiological adaptations is missing. This project proposes to study individual variation in life-history, physiological and behavioural traits along the UG in two model species of urbanization research, the house finch and the great tit, and to perform an experiment to understand the influence of environment v. genetic background on the development of pace-of-life differences between rural and urban birds. There are a number of avian studies that have assessed differences in traits associated with pace-of-life, such as reproduction, survival, behaviour and personalities, immune responses, and oxidative status along the UG, but so far no studies even consider the possibility of different adaptive pace-of-life strategies between urban and rural populations. Also, relatively little is known about shifts in genetic traits, and there are no studies designed particularly for testing pace-of-life differences between populations of urban and rural birds. The proposed project will use a multidisciplinary approach that involves field study methods for analysing survival, reproduction and behaviour and lab methods for quantifying OS, immune status, and gene expression (transcriptome microarray analysis). Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunology Programme(s) 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 Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2015-GF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships Coordinator TARTU ULIKOOL Net EU contribution € 246 421,80 Address ULIKOOLI 18 51005 Tartu Estonia See on map Region Eesti Eesti Lõuna-Eesti Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 246 421,80 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address 660 S MILL AVENUE CENTERPOINT 312 85281 Tempe See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 172 130,40