Project description
How social interaction affects plants
Cooperation among organisms like social insects demonstrates that natural selection can maximise group performance by favouring the evolution of altruistic phenotypes. But what are the benefits of social interaction for plants? The EU-funded SOCLE project will collaborate with plant breeders to address this question, employing crops as a model system. The researcher will use the indirect genetic effects (IGE) framework to quantify the amount of heritable variation in crop yield that is due to social interactions and compare it to non-social heritable variation. They will also test the social effects of a set of ecologically and agronomically important traits to determine which contribute most to social interactions. Finally, they will identify the genomic regions responsible for social interactions.
Objective
As early shown with social insects, natural selection can maximize group performance by favouring the evolution of altruistic phenotypes. Such social selection has been shown to occur in a wide range of taxon, mainly in animals and microorganisms. Conversely, we have a very poor knowledge of social interactions in plants, mainly because the study of plant-plant interactions has largely remained disconnected from social evolution theory. For example, we don’t know which plant traits have social effects, and we don't know to what extent plant group performance can be affected by social effects. Better understanding social interactions in plants could open new opportunities for plant breeding. Indeed, it has long been suggested that crop yields could be increased by selecting more cooperative varieties. Moreover, advances in animal breeding based on social evolution have already shown convincing results. The aim of this project is thus to better understand social interaction in plants, using crops as a model system. Based on a competition experiment, I will use three approaches: a trait-blind approach, a trait-based approach, and a genomic approach. In the first approach, I will use the indirect genetic effects (IGE) framework to quantify the amount of heritable variation on crop yield that is due to social interactions, and compare it to the non-social heritable variation. With the second approach, I will test the social effects of a set of ecologically and agronomically important traits in order to identify those that contribute most to social interactions. Finally, I will use a genomic approach to look for genomic regions involved in social effects. Conducted in collaboration with plant breeders and leading scientists in the field of social evolution, this multi-disciplinary project will address fundamental research questions related to plant-plant interactions and their evolution, and pave the way for innovative agronomic solutions based on crop cooperation.
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 zoology entomology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture agronomy plant breeding
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1015 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
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.