ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

It has long been understood that genes contribute to phenotypes that are then the basis of selection. However, the nature and process of this relationship remains largely theoretical, and the relative contribution of change in gene expression and coding sequence to phenotypic diversification is unclear. The aim of this proposal is to fuse information about sexually dimorphic phenotypes, the mating systems and sexually antagonistic selective agents that shape sexual dimorphism, and the sex-biased gene expression patterns that encode sexual dimorphisms, in order to create a cohesive integrated understanding of the relationship between evolution, the genome, and the animal form. The primary approach of this project is to harnesses emergent DNA sequencing technologies in order to measure evolutionary change in gene expression and coding sequence in response to different sex-specific selection regimes in a clade of birds with divergent mating systems. Sex-specific selection pressures arise in large part as a consequence of mating system, however males and females share nearly identical genomes, especially in the vertebrates where the sex chromosomes house very small proportions of the overall transcriptome. This single shared genome creates sex-specific phenotypes via different gene expression levels in females and males, and these sex-biased genes connect sexual dimorphisms, and the sexually antagonistic selection pressures that shape them, with the regions of the genome that encode them. The Galloanserae (fowl and waterfowl) will be used to in the proposed project, as this clade combines the necessary requirements of both variation in mating systems and a well-conserved reference genome (chicken). The study species selected from within the Galloanserae for the proposal exhibit a range of sexual dimorphism and sperm competition, and this will be exploited with next generation (454 and Illumina) genomic and transcriptomic data to study the gene expression patterns that underlie sexual dimorphisms, and the evolutionary pressures acting on them. This work will be complemented by the development of mathematical models of sex-specific evolution that will be tested against the gene expression and gene sequence data in order to understand the mechanisms by which sex-specific selection regimes, arising largely from mating systems, shape the phenotype via the genome.

1 350 804 €

Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-07-31

Iridescence is a form of structural colour which changes hue according to the angle from which it is viewed. Blue iridescence caused by multilayers has been described on the leaves of taxonomically diverse species such as the lycophyte Selaginella uncinata and the angiosperm Begonia pavonina. While much is known about the role of leaf pigment colour, the adaptive role of leaf iridescence is unknown. Hypotheses have been put forward including 1) iridescence acts as disruptive camouflage against herbivores 2) it enhances light sensing and capture in low light conditions 3) it is a photoprotective mechanism to protect shade-adapted plants against high light levels. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive: each function may be of varying importance in different environments. To understand any one function, we need a interdisciplinary approach considering all three potential functions and their interactions. The objective of my research would be to test these hypotheses, using animal behavioural and plant physiological methods, to determine the functions of leaf iridescence and how the plant has adapted to the reflection of developmentally vital wavelengths. Use of molecular and bioinformatics methods will elucidate the genes that control the production of this potentially multifunctional optical phenomenon. This research will provide a pioneering study into the generation, developmental impact and adaptive significance of iridescence in leaves. It would also answer questions at the frontiers of several fields including those of plant evolution, insect vision, methods of camouflage, the generation and role of animal iridescence, and could also potentially inspire synthetic biomimetic applications.

1 118 378 €

Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-07-31

Abrupt shifts occasionally reshape complex systems in nature ranging in scale from lakes and reefs to regional climate systems. Such shifts sometimes represent critical transitions in the sense that they happen at tipping points where runaway change propels the system towards an alterative contrasting state. Although the mechanism of critical transitions can often be reconstructed in the hindsight, we are virtually unable to predict when they will happen in advance. Simulation models for complex environmental systems are simply not good enough to predict tipping points, and there is little hope that this will change over the coming decades. The proposed project is aimed at developing an alternative way to predict critical transitions. We aim at finding early warning signals for such transitions that are generic in the sense that they work irrespective of the (often poorly known) mechanisms responsible for the tipping points. Mathematical theory indicates that this might be possible. However, although excitement about these ideas is emerging, we are far from having a cohesive theory, let alone practical approaches for predicting critical transitions in large complex systems like lakes, coral reefs or the climate. I will work towards this goal with my team along three lines: 1) Develop a comprehensive theory of early warning signals using analytical mathematical techniques as well as models ranging in character from simple and transparent to elaborate and realistic; 2) Test the theory on experimental plankton systems kept in controlled microcosms; and 3) Analyze data from real systems that go through catastrophic transitions. The anticipated results would imply a major breakthrough in a field of research that is exiting as well as highly relevant to society. If we are successful, it would allow us to anticipate critical transitions even in large complex systems where we have little hope of predicting tipping points on the basis of mechanistic models.

2 299 171 €

Start date: 2011-06-01, End date: 2016-05-31

The last 100 years have seen the dramatic spread of an evolutionarily unprecedented environmental change. Across huge areas, the spatial patterns and temporal cycles of light and dark that have previously remained approximately constant have been disrupted by the introduction of artificial night-time lights. This raises major concerns, given that light and dark provide critical resources and environmental conditions for organisms and play key roles in their physiology, growth, behaviour and reproduction, including the entrainment of internal biological clocks to local time. Indeed, it has long been recognised that light pollution of the night is likely to have profound consequences for the structure and functioning of populations and communities. Nonetheless, empirical studies of these effects remain wanting. This project will bring about a step change in understanding of the ecological consequences of night-time light pollution, addressing the principal question: How does the experimental manipulation of artificial night-time light influence population abundance, species composition and community structure? This will be answered using linked experimental studies. The results will have wide ramifications for understanding of the influences of rapid environmental change on population and community structure and of measures by which these can best be ameliorated.

1 600 000 €

Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2017-04-30