Project description DEENESFRITPL Birds mating on one song at a time The decision to mate is one of the most important decisions animals will ever make. Discriminating against potential mates is a vital step in this process. However, individuals from many species learn with whom to mate by first observing a variety of conspecifics. To fill the knowledge gap, the EU-funded SongNeuroGen project will focus on birds and the causes and consequences of genetic divergence in auditory learning of songs – key species discrimination traits in birds. Studying two closely related Ficedula flycatcher species, the project will distinguish the influences of genes and learning on species-specific song perception. The findings will shed light on the genetic basis of species differences in learned behaviours. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective How individuals choose mates is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Mating decisions have broad consequences, influencing individual fitness and population-level evolutionary and ecological processes, including diversification, speciation, and extinction. Discriminating against potential mates from closely related co-occurring species is a vital step in finding an appropriate mate. However, individuals from many species learn with whom to mate by first observing a variety of conspecifics, which risks mistakenly learning from co-occurring species with similar phenotypes. Genetic divergence among species in sensory perception is widely hypothesized to reduce this risk, but the underlying mechanisms and, therefore, the evolutionary causes and consequences are poorly understood.My proposal aims to uncover the causes and consequences of genetic divergence in auditory learning of songs, key species discrimination traits in birds. I have developed a powerful study system to distinguish the influences of genes and learning on species-specific song perception, employing two closely related Ficedula flycatcher species. I will use this tractable system to: (i) evaluate alternative evolutionary drivers of genetic divergence in song discrimination, (ii) determine the interplay between genetic effects and auditory learning throughout development, and (iii) associate species differences in discrimination with gene expression and, ultimately, divergence in gene regulation. To achieve these goals, I will integrate behavioural and neurogenomic approaches on populations across the flycatchers’ native range and from captive-reared populations, leveraging ongoing sequencing of songbird genomes to place flycatcher results in a broader evolutionary context. This integrative project will have the potential to radically change our understanding of the genetic basis of species differences in learned behaviors and will allow me to develop transformative, career-level research. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biologysocial sciencessociologysocial issuessocial inequalitiesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-STG - ERC Starting Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Coordinator STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET Net EU contribution € 1 490 850,00 Address Universitetsvagen 10 10691 Stockholm Sweden See on map Region Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län 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 Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET Sweden Net EU contribution € 1 490 850,00 Address Universitetsvagen 10 10691 Stockholm See on map Region Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län 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 Other funding € 0,00
