AGGRESSIVNEMA · Aggressive competition in nematodes

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Project objective

Competing males may sometimes, but only sometimes, fight to the death. This extreme behaviour, rare among animal species, has recently been seen in a nematode. We propose, for the first time, to study male-male aggression, including lethal combat, in nematodes. The aims are to (1) document the conditions under which competition between males of the insect parasitic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae escalates to killing, and (2) confirm that homosexual copulation noted in Caenorhabditis elegans represents sexually selected aggression.In Steinernema, we will test the hypotheses that males can detect the size and sex ratio of the local population and adjust their fighting decisions appropriately, and that male size and residency determine the outcome of conflicts. Experiments will be done in drops of insect blood, where the number and identity of worms can be precisely manipulated. Findings will be confirmed in vivo in insect hosts. Even though lethal combat is not reported in C. elegans, longevity is reduced in all-male groups, and males deposit copulatory plugs on each other. We will test whether the fitness of plugged" (victim) males is reduced relative to that of "pluggers", which would support our hypothesis that homosexual copulation represents sexually selected aggression in this species. Steinernema spp. are important biological insecticides, produced in Europe and traded globally.Understanding their reproductive behaviour will improve their mass production, but the project has much wider importance. Nematodes including C. elegans represent a simple system in which to explore the evolutionary significance of male aggression, while laying a foundation for future physiochemical and genetic analysis. The experience the Fellow will gain in behavioural ecology will complement his existing expertise in applied nematology and provide him with the intellectual and leadership skills to head a team researching fundamental and applied invertebrate biology."

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• National University of Ireland - Maynooth · MAYNOOTHCoordinatorIreland

Links

• View on CORDIS