IMMUNFUNC · Female immune function in compensation for polyandry
„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“
- Период
- 2017-09-01 → 2019-08-31
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 183 455 €
- Участници
- 1
- Схема
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Връзката между многократния секс при женските плодови мухи и тяхната имунна защита срещу инфекции е в центъра на анализа. Това помага да се разбере защо някои видове се чифтосват с един партньор, а други с няколко.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Female immune function in compensation for polyandry
Females of some species mate only once in their life, whereas others mate with more than one male (i.e. polyandry). Despite decades of research and recent progress, our understanding of why there is so much variation in the level of polyandry remarkably remains limited. During mating, male-derived materials are transferred to females. The physical contact can also involve potential risk of sexually transmitted infections. Thus, the more females mates, the higher the risk of potential infections. If costs of multiple mating outweigh the benefits, females will not mate polyandrously. The interaction between polyandry, pathogens, and immunity may therefore be key to understanding much of the unexplained variation in polyandry. To test the hypothesis that the level of polyandry positively correlates with the efficiency of female immune defence and may therefore compensate for the potential costs of multiple mating, I investigated the relationship between polyandry and female immune defence against pathogen challenge using multiple genotypes of the fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura that genetically differ profoundly in their predisposition to polyandry. The action of this research project revealed that there is no correlation between the level of polyandry and female immune defence. Instead, I found that there is genetic variation in female immune defence and that effects of mating on female immune defence are different among the female genotypes.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
The level of polyandry is a key trait influencing population dynamics and inter-sexual interactions of organisms. In nature, females of some species mate only once in their life time, whereas others mate with multiple males. My research aims at understanding why there is so many variation in the level of polyandry. I will tackle this question by focusing on female immune function. Mating can up-/down-regulate immune function, which is likely to inflict fitness costs on females if they mate with multiple males. If the level of polyandry positively correlates with the efficiency of female immune function, immune function may compensate for the costs of multiple mating. To test this hypothesis, I will use 25 isolines of the fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura that genetically differ profoundly in their predisposition to polyandry. This unique system will allow me to examine effects of both mating and genetic variation in polyandry on female immune function. This project will complement my current research that to date has focused on specific applied agricultural-pest systems. I have less experience working on explicitly evolutionary-focused questions, so this research programme will provide an additional dimension to my applied research. Prof Wedell is a leading scientist in the field of experimental evolutionary biology, and is the perfect person to expand my horizons into more conceptual and broader ideas. Under her mentoring, I will be able to develop my own research and skills in proposal writing and teaching. The new knowledge, skills and techniques that I will acquire through the project will feed back to my previous work on agricultural pests, which will result in me being able to bridge the gap between model organism and agricultural pest systems. The unique situation will enable me to develop a unique line of research in both evolutionary and applied biology. Ultimately, this Fellowship will put me in an excellent position for my further career.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
- THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterКоординаторОбединеното кралство
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз