Project description
Butterflies help us study evolutionary mechanisms driving shifts in diet
Fermenting fruits, with their higher nutritional value, entice organisms to adapt, fuelling rapid diversification. Despite the benefits, the challenge lies in the detrimental effects of the up to 8 % alcohol concentration in these fruits. Animals, employing an alcohol detoxification system, feed and breed on them, raising questions about the evolution of this convergent phenotype. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DrunkButterflies project aims to unravel the mysteries of dietary evolution in butterflies. This research promises to unveil macroevolutionary patterns, analyse alcohol detoxification genes, and explore the impact of dietary alcohol on fitness and gene expression, marking a significant leap in our understanding of evolutionary biology.
Objective
Key innovations allow organisms to exploit novel resources fuelling rapid diversification. Fermenting fruits have higher nutritional value, for example, than nectar, and their consumption provides higher fitness benefits. However, the high alcohol concentration in fermenting fruits reaching up to 8% can be detrimental, making them a challenging resource. Nevertheless, diverse animals feed and breed on fermenting fruits using the alcohol detoxification system, yet little is known about how this convergent phenotype evolved. Such systems allow addressing key questions at the heart of evolutionary biology: what ecological drivers triggered shifts to feeding on fermenting fruits? Are such shifts key innovations? At what level of genetic mechanism do the diverse animals feeding on fermenting fruits show convergence in the alcohol detoxification system? These questions can only be answered using a large-scale, integrative and comparative evolutionary framework, yet studies remain focused on within populations of few taxa. My proposal seeks to answer these outstanding questions using the rich model system of butterflies, to quantify the ecological and genetic mechanisms underlying diet evolution (fermenting fruits vs nectar). My three main objectives are to: (1) Unravel the macroevolutionary patterns of convergence in dietary shifts and quantify impacts on diversification, (2) Conduct a comparative sequence analysis of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene and its enzyme across fruit and nectar feeders, and (3) Test hypotheses on the effects of dietary alcohol on fitness and gene expression in a fruit and nectar feeder. I will integrate information on butterfly natural history with methods from comparative phylogenetics, genomics, and experimental approaches to achieve my objectives. This fellowship will train me in precisely the technical and analytical techniques required for carrying out interdisciplinary research and advancing my career development as a leading scientist.
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 genetics
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry alcohols
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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22100 Lund
Sweden
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