Description du projet
Une nouvelle façon d’évaluer l’état physiologique chez les animaux sauvages
La valeur adaptative, soit la capacité d’un organisme à survivre et à se reproduire, est au cœur de la biologie de l’évolution et de la conservation. L’imagerie thermique déterminant la température à la surface du corps a été proposée comme outil non invasif pour examiner la manière dont les processus physiologiques chez les animaux sauvages sont adaptés dynamiquement afin de maximiser la valeur adaptative en réponse aux variations environnementales. L’objectif du projet THERMALIMAGING STATE, financé par l’UE, consiste à mettre au point l’imagerie thermique comme nouvel outil puissant pour mieux comprendre les liens entre l’état individuel et la valeur adaptative dans des environnements naturels. Cette nouvelle technique sera validée aux États-Unis, et fera par la suite l’objet d’un essai sur le terrain dans l’UE, dirigé par l’expertise d’écophysiologistes reconnus internationalement de l’université de Groningue et de l’Institut Max Planck d’ornithologie.
Objectif
Understanding variation in ability to survive and pass on genes (fitness) is central to evolutionary biology and conservation ecology. Fitness differences are largely explained by physiological state, as physiological processes are dynamically adjusted to maximise fitness in response to environmental variation. However, assessing physiological state in wild animals is usually invasive, requiring trapping and handling. As well as raising ethical concerns, such techniques interrupt natural behaviour, can cause bias toward trappable individuals, and may alter subsequent performance. Welfare limits on repeated invasive sampling also restrict tracking of responses over time. Previously, I provided proof of concept for an innovative alternative approach to overcome these issues – non-invasive thermal imaging of body surface temperature. I showed body surface temperature reflects two physiological processes highly relevant to fitness – acute stress and maintenance of energy reserves. But, the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unclear, calling for rigorous experimental exploration to build the foundations needed for this method to be applied in research and conservation. Hence, the aim of this proposal is to develop thermal imaging as a powerful new tool to advance understanding of the links between individual state and fitness in natural environments. An initial visit to the world leading wild-vertebrate stress lab (Tufts University, US) will be used to perform detailed physiological validations in captivity. Methods established in the US will then be field-trialled in the EU, guided by the expertise of internationally recognised ecophysiologists at the University of Groningen and Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, ensuring in-depth synthesis of results. Combined, this work will place me at the forefront of the exciting, transformative use of thermal imaging as a novel tool for studying how wild animals cope with changing environments.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
9712CP Groningen
Pays-Bas