Project acronym AVIANEGG
Project Evolutionary genetics in a ‘classical’ avian study system by high throughput transcriptome sequencing and SNP genotyping
Researcher (PI) Jon Slate
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary Long-term studies of free-living vertebrate populations have proved a rich resource for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes, because individuals’ life histories can be measured by tracking them from birth/hatching through to death. In recent years the ‘animal model’ has been applied to pedigreed long-term study populations with great success, dramatically advancing our understanding of quantitative genetic parameters such as heritabilities, genetic correlations and plasticities of traits that are relevant to microevolutionary responses to environmental change. Unfortunately, quantitative genetic approaches have one major drawback – they cannot identify the actual genes responsible for genetic variation. Therefore, it is impossible to link evolutionary responses to a changing environment to molecular genetic variation, making our picture of the process incomplete. Many of the best long-term studies have been conducted in passerine birds. Unfortunately genomics resources are only available for two model avian species, and are absent for bird species that are studied in the wild. I will fill this gap by exploiting recent advances in genomics technology to sequence the entire transcriptome of the longest running study of wild birds – the great tit population in Wytham Woods, Oxford. Having identified most of the sequence variation in the great tit transcriptome, I will then genotype all birds for whom phenotype records and blood samples are available This will be, by far, the largest phenotype-genotype dataset of any free-living vertebrate population. I will then use gene mapping techniques to identify genes and genomic regions responsible for variation in a number of key traits such as lifetime recruitment, clutch size and breeding/laying date. This will result in a greater understanding, at the molecular level, how microevolutionary change can arise (or be constrained).
Summary
Long-term studies of free-living vertebrate populations have proved a rich resource for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes, because individuals’ life histories can be measured by tracking them from birth/hatching through to death. In recent years the ‘animal model’ has been applied to pedigreed long-term study populations with great success, dramatically advancing our understanding of quantitative genetic parameters such as heritabilities, genetic correlations and plasticities of traits that are relevant to microevolutionary responses to environmental change. Unfortunately, quantitative genetic approaches have one major drawback – they cannot identify the actual genes responsible for genetic variation. Therefore, it is impossible to link evolutionary responses to a changing environment to molecular genetic variation, making our picture of the process incomplete. Many of the best long-term studies have been conducted in passerine birds. Unfortunately genomics resources are only available for two model avian species, and are absent for bird species that are studied in the wild. I will fill this gap by exploiting recent advances in genomics technology to sequence the entire transcriptome of the longest running study of wild birds – the great tit population in Wytham Woods, Oxford. Having identified most of the sequence variation in the great tit transcriptome, I will then genotype all birds for whom phenotype records and blood samples are available This will be, by far, the largest phenotype-genotype dataset of any free-living vertebrate population. I will then use gene mapping techniques to identify genes and genomic regions responsible for variation in a number of key traits such as lifetime recruitment, clutch size and breeding/laying date. This will result in a greater understanding, at the molecular level, how microevolutionary change can arise (or be constrained).
Max ERC Funding
1 560 770 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2014-06-30
Project acronym GENOVIR
Project Adaptation of Virus Genomes to Insect Immunity
Researcher (PI) Elisabeth, Anne Herniou
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary How ecology shapes genomes is a key question to be addressed in the postgenomic era. A leading theory states that species evolve as groups of genomes adapting to particular ecological niches. Thus, shifts to a new ecological niche should be connected to genome divergence, and ultimately to the making of new species. So far we know little on how ecological adaptation affects genomes, because of the difficulty of simultaneously studying evolution at both ecological and whole genome levels. Insect viruses are ideally suited to study this question because their ecological niches are defined by their hosts and because of the nature of their genomes. The transmission of baculoviruses as groups of genomes sets them apart for studying the effect of niches on populations. Their molecular biology is also well understood, which makes them ideal to investigating the genetic and functional details of adaptation. They are thus unique for linking genome changes to ecological changes. Polydnaviruses have extraordinary genomes, domesticated by wasps to deliver molecular weapons to fight the immunity of their Lepidoptera hosts. Sequencing polydnavirus genomes therefore opens windows to understanding mutualism and how parasitic wasps have adapted to different hosts. Lastly, the diversity of insect viruses provides an exceptional opportunity to examine if different evolutionary lineages have converged toward similar genomic solutions to respond to similar immunity and why some lineages have diversified more than others. Studying virus adaptation to the immunity of different insect species will reveal how viral genomes have been shaped by the ecological niches of their host immunity. At the frontier of ecology and genomics GENOVIR, takes on the challenge of studying ecological adaptation at the level of whole genomes. The innovative application of cutting-edge molecular and genomic techniques to the interface with ecology will transform our understanding of evolution.
Summary
How ecology shapes genomes is a key question to be addressed in the postgenomic era. A leading theory states that species evolve as groups of genomes adapting to particular ecological niches. Thus, shifts to a new ecological niche should be connected to genome divergence, and ultimately to the making of new species. So far we know little on how ecological adaptation affects genomes, because of the difficulty of simultaneously studying evolution at both ecological and whole genome levels. Insect viruses are ideally suited to study this question because their ecological niches are defined by their hosts and because of the nature of their genomes. The transmission of baculoviruses as groups of genomes sets them apart for studying the effect of niches on populations. Their molecular biology is also well understood, which makes them ideal to investigating the genetic and functional details of adaptation. They are thus unique for linking genome changes to ecological changes. Polydnaviruses have extraordinary genomes, domesticated by wasps to deliver molecular weapons to fight the immunity of their Lepidoptera hosts. Sequencing polydnavirus genomes therefore opens windows to understanding mutualism and how parasitic wasps have adapted to different hosts. Lastly, the diversity of insect viruses provides an exceptional opportunity to examine if different evolutionary lineages have converged toward similar genomic solutions to respond to similar immunity and why some lineages have diversified more than others. Studying virus adaptation to the immunity of different insect species will reveal how viral genomes have been shaped by the ecological niches of their host immunity. At the frontier of ecology and genomics GENOVIR, takes on the challenge of studying ecological adaptation at the level of whole genomes. The innovative application of cutting-edge molecular and genomic techniques to the interface with ecology will transform our understanding of evolution.
Max ERC Funding
1 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2014-06-30
Project acronym GEVM
Project Genetic and Environmental Variation of Memory phases
Researcher (PI) Frederic Mery
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary Memory (i.e. the ability to store and retrieve information) plays a crucial role in the development of an animal’s behavior within its lifespan and is often important for its survival and reproductive success. Memory is itself a product of evolution and the degree to which information is maintained in the brain varies among species and among different types of behavior. Findings from vertebrate behavioral pharmacology have challenged the traditional view of memory formation as a direct flow from short-term to long-term storage. Evidence points instead to an intricate, multiphase pathway of memory consolidation. Different components of memory emerge at different times after the event to be memorized takes place. In addition, their duration and times of onset can vary with different tasks and species If variations in memory capacities have been observed among closely-related species, the relationship between environmental conditions and evolution of these capacities have only been rarely studied despite the importance of this topic in the understanding of the evolution of behavior. I propose an experimental approach using Drosophila as a model system. This project concentrates on: Part 1: Genetic variation of the memory phases Part 2: Effect of the environmental conditions on the development of memory Part 3: fitness cost of memory Part 4: Consolidation, Reconsolidation and Extinction: similar or separate processes?
Summary
Memory (i.e. the ability to store and retrieve information) plays a crucial role in the development of an animal’s behavior within its lifespan and is often important for its survival and reproductive success. Memory is itself a product of evolution and the degree to which information is maintained in the brain varies among species and among different types of behavior. Findings from vertebrate behavioral pharmacology have challenged the traditional view of memory formation as a direct flow from short-term to long-term storage. Evidence points instead to an intricate, multiphase pathway of memory consolidation. Different components of memory emerge at different times after the event to be memorized takes place. In addition, their duration and times of onset can vary with different tasks and species If variations in memory capacities have been observed among closely-related species, the relationship between environmental conditions and evolution of these capacities have only been rarely studied despite the importance of this topic in the understanding of the evolution of behavior. I propose an experimental approach using Drosophila as a model system. This project concentrates on: Part 1: Genetic variation of the memory phases Part 2: Effect of the environmental conditions on the development of memory Part 3: fitness cost of memory Part 4: Consolidation, Reconsolidation and Extinction: similar or separate processes?
Max ERC Funding
534 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-09-01, End date: 2011-08-31
Project acronym HUMAN LIFESPAN
Project Mothers, grandmothers and the evolution of prolonged lifespan in humans
Researcher (PI) Virpi Lummaa
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary I propose a novel evolutionary approach for studying ecological and demographic factors that affect senescence and lifespan in humans. Women are unique among animals due to menopause and a prolonged lifespan after last birth. Evolutionarily, the quest of everyone is to maximise grandchildren numbers. Hence, human women life-history is enigmatic. One possibility is that older women increase their fitness by directing resources to already produced offspring rather than having more. Thus, although women gain most grandchildren from own reproduction, they also gain more by helping offspring. This has fascinating implications. All animals must split their energy between reproduction vs. self-maintenance. Most continue to reproduce until death and produce maximum grandchildren by optimising investment between current vs. future reproduction. Human women must also optimise investment between mothering and grandmothering. How this is done and affected by ecological, social and demographic factors is unknown, but is essential to understanding the ecological and genetic basis of reproduction, senescence and lifespan. My project has 5 aims: 1. How does reproductive effort affect reproductive and post-reproductive senescence? 2. What proportion of grandchildren is gained post-menopause and how is this modified? 3. Is there heritable variation in life-history traits and their senescence, and how do genetic correlations affect evolution? 4. How do patterns of fitness acquisition account for menopause, prolonged post-reproductive lifespan and age of death in humans? 5. How does fitness maximization differ between men and women and affect their lifespans? The questions will be answered using unique data on three generations of individuals that lived before healthcare and modern contraceptives in Finland. The results will have important implications for predicting demographic structure and will appeal to a wide range of people within and outwith the scientific community.
Summary
I propose a novel evolutionary approach for studying ecological and demographic factors that affect senescence and lifespan in humans. Women are unique among animals due to menopause and a prolonged lifespan after last birth. Evolutionarily, the quest of everyone is to maximise grandchildren numbers. Hence, human women life-history is enigmatic. One possibility is that older women increase their fitness by directing resources to already produced offspring rather than having more. Thus, although women gain most grandchildren from own reproduction, they also gain more by helping offspring. This has fascinating implications. All animals must split their energy between reproduction vs. self-maintenance. Most continue to reproduce until death and produce maximum grandchildren by optimising investment between current vs. future reproduction. Human women must also optimise investment between mothering and grandmothering. How this is done and affected by ecological, social and demographic factors is unknown, but is essential to understanding the ecological and genetic basis of reproduction, senescence and lifespan. My project has 5 aims: 1. How does reproductive effort affect reproductive and post-reproductive senescence? 2. What proportion of grandchildren is gained post-menopause and how is this modified? 3. Is there heritable variation in life-history traits and their senescence, and how do genetic correlations affect evolution? 4. How do patterns of fitness acquisition account for menopause, prolonged post-reproductive lifespan and age of death in humans? 5. How does fitness maximization differ between men and women and affect their lifespans? The questions will be answered using unique data on three generations of individuals that lived before healthcare and modern contraceptives in Finland. The results will have important implications for predicting demographic structure and will appeal to a wide range of people within and outwith the scientific community.
Max ERC Funding
1 143 824 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-07-01, End date: 2014-06-30
Project acronym INTERGENADAPT
Project The interaction and the genetic basis of naturally versus sexually selected traits in the adaptive radiations of cichlid fishes
Researcher (PI) Walter Salzburger
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT BASEL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The question of how variation in the DNA translates into organismal diversity has puzzled biologists for decades. Despite of recent advances in evolutionary and developmental biology, the molecular mechanisms that underlie diversification, adaptation and evolutionary innovation remain largely unknown. The exceptionally diverse species flocks of cichlid fishes in the East African Great Lakes are textbook examples for adaptive radiations, and emerge as excellent model systems to study the genetic basis of biodiversity. East Africa’s hundreds of endemic cichlid species are akin a natural mutagenesis screen and differ greatly in ecologically relevant and, hence, naturally selected characters such as mouth morphology, but also in sexually selected traits such as coloration. Here, I propose to study the relative adaptive relevance and the molecular basis of characters that contributed to the origin of the cichlids’ astonishing species-richness, making the underlying genetic pathways prime targets in the quest of “speciation genes”. Specifically, I aim to focus on three unique characters of cichlids: (i) thick lips that evolved independently in different cichlid assemblages; (ii) the highly adaptable pharyngeal jaw apparatus; and (iii) egg-dummies on the anal fins of male haplochromines, which play an important role in the breeding cycle of these mouthbrooding fishes. A major goal of this project is to test whether the same developmental and genetic pathways are involved in the origin of evolutionary parallelisms in cichlid radiations. To this end, I will use gene expression, RT-PCR and in situ hybridization experiments to compare thick-lipped species, parallel pharyngeal jaw morphologies and similar color patterns on fins of cichlids of different assemblages, as well as the egg-spots of haplochromines to those of unrelated ectodine cichlids, in which similar dummies have evolved independently and on a different fin. Finally, I intend to compare the genes underlying these characters in an evolutionary genomic framework in order to evaluate the relative strength and the type of selection that has acted on loci involved in the morphogenesis of naturally versus sexually selected traits in cichlid adaptive radiations.
Summary
The question of how variation in the DNA translates into organismal diversity has puzzled biologists for decades. Despite of recent advances in evolutionary and developmental biology, the molecular mechanisms that underlie diversification, adaptation and evolutionary innovation remain largely unknown. The exceptionally diverse species flocks of cichlid fishes in the East African Great Lakes are textbook examples for adaptive radiations, and emerge as excellent model systems to study the genetic basis of biodiversity. East Africa’s hundreds of endemic cichlid species are akin a natural mutagenesis screen and differ greatly in ecologically relevant and, hence, naturally selected characters such as mouth morphology, but also in sexually selected traits such as coloration. Here, I propose to study the relative adaptive relevance and the molecular basis of characters that contributed to the origin of the cichlids’ astonishing species-richness, making the underlying genetic pathways prime targets in the quest of “speciation genes”. Specifically, I aim to focus on three unique characters of cichlids: (i) thick lips that evolved independently in different cichlid assemblages; (ii) the highly adaptable pharyngeal jaw apparatus; and (iii) egg-dummies on the anal fins of male haplochromines, which play an important role in the breeding cycle of these mouthbrooding fishes. A major goal of this project is to test whether the same developmental and genetic pathways are involved in the origin of evolutionary parallelisms in cichlid radiations. To this end, I will use gene expression, RT-PCR and in situ hybridization experiments to compare thick-lipped species, parallel pharyngeal jaw morphologies and similar color patterns on fins of cichlids of different assemblages, as well as the egg-spots of haplochromines to those of unrelated ectodine cichlids, in which similar dummies have evolved independently and on a different fin. Finally, I intend to compare the genes underlying these characters in an evolutionary genomic framework in order to evaluate the relative strength and the type of selection that has acted on loci involved in the morphogenesis of naturally versus sexually selected traits in cichlid adaptive radiations.
Max ERC Funding
750 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-08-01, End date: 2013-07-31
Project acronym MULTICELLGENOME
Project A comparative genomic analysis into the origin of metazoan multicellularity
Researcher (PI) Inaki Ruiz Trillo
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The emergence of multicellular organisms from single-celled ancestors is one of the most profound evolutionary steps in life’s history. However, and despite its importance, little is known about this pivotal evolutionary event. Interestingly, the emergence of multicellular organisms has occurred several times independently within the eukaryotes, such as in animals, fungi and plants. In this context, the super-group known as the Opisthokonts offers a unique evolutionary window to investigate the unicell-to-multicell transition because it comprises two multicellular eukaryotic kingdoms (Animals and Fungi) and several single-celled lineages. The goal of this project is to perform a comparative genomic analysis to further investigate into the origin of multicellularity within metazoans. Although genomic and functional studies are currently being performed in basal and derived metazoans, among the animal unicellular ancestors, choanoflagellates remain the only lineage to be extensively studied. This project aims to fill this gap by providing a genomic and molecular investigation into two additional unicellular lineages recently shown to be closely related to animals: Capsaspora owczarzaki and the ichthyosporean Sphaeroforma arctica. Thus, the specific goals of this project are: 1) to analyze the complete genome sequence of the unicellular opisthokonts Capsaspora and Sphaeroforma; and 2) to launch a new functional genomics platform of both Capsaspora and Sphaeroforma, in where to elucidate the “ancestral function” of genes relevant to multicellularity. A broad range of researchers (including the “evo-devo” community, eukaryotic microbiologists and molecular evolutionists) will benefit from the data generated within this project. Surely, this research will not only largely improve our understanding of a major biological question (the origin/s of multicellularity) but will also provide an evolutionary insight into the evolution of key proteins relevant to human health.
Summary
The emergence of multicellular organisms from single-celled ancestors is one of the most profound evolutionary steps in life’s history. However, and despite its importance, little is known about this pivotal evolutionary event. Interestingly, the emergence of multicellular organisms has occurred several times independently within the eukaryotes, such as in animals, fungi and plants. In this context, the super-group known as the Opisthokonts offers a unique evolutionary window to investigate the unicell-to-multicell transition because it comprises two multicellular eukaryotic kingdoms (Animals and Fungi) and several single-celled lineages. The goal of this project is to perform a comparative genomic analysis to further investigate into the origin of multicellularity within metazoans. Although genomic and functional studies are currently being performed in basal and derived metazoans, among the animal unicellular ancestors, choanoflagellates remain the only lineage to be extensively studied. This project aims to fill this gap by providing a genomic and molecular investigation into two additional unicellular lineages recently shown to be closely related to animals: Capsaspora owczarzaki and the ichthyosporean Sphaeroforma arctica. Thus, the specific goals of this project are: 1) to analyze the complete genome sequence of the unicellular opisthokonts Capsaspora and Sphaeroforma; and 2) to launch a new functional genomics platform of both Capsaspora and Sphaeroforma, in where to elucidate the “ancestral function” of genes relevant to multicellularity. A broad range of researchers (including the “evo-devo” community, eukaryotic microbiologists and molecular evolutionists) will benefit from the data generated within this project. Surely, this research will not only largely improve our understanding of a major biological question (the origin/s of multicellularity) but will also provide an evolutionary insight into the evolution of key proteins relevant to human health.
Max ERC Funding
1 211 275 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2013-09-30
Project acronym NETWORK EVOLUTION
Project Integrated evolutionary analyses of genetic and drug interaction networks in yeast
Researcher (PI) Csaba Pal
Host Institution (HI) SZEGEDI BIOLOGIAI KUTATOKOZPONT
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The ability of cellular systems to adapt to genetic and environmental perturbations is a fundamental but poorly understood process both at the molecular and evolutionary level. There are both physiological and evolutionary reasonings why mutations often have limited impact on cellular growth. First, perturbations that hit one target often have no effect on the overall performance of a complex system (such as metabolic networks), as perturbations can be adjusted by reorganizing fluxes in metabolic networks, or changing regulation and expression of genes. Second, due to the fast evolvability of microbes, the effect of a perturbation can readily be alleviated by the evolution of compensatory mutations at other sites of the network. Understanding the extent of intrinsic and evolved robustness in cellular systems demands integrated analyses that combine functional genomics and computational systems biology with microbial evolutionary experiments. In collaboration with several leading research teams in the field, we plan to investigate the following issues. First, we will ask how accurately genome-scale metabolic network models can predict the impact of genetic deletions and other non-heritable perturbations. Second, to understand how the impact of genetic and drug perturbations can be mitigated during evolution, we will pursue a large-scale lab evolutionary protocol, and compare the results with predictions of computational models. Our work may suggest avenues of research on the general rules of acquired drug resistance in microbes.
Summary
The ability of cellular systems to adapt to genetic and environmental perturbations is a fundamental but poorly understood process both at the molecular and evolutionary level. There are both physiological and evolutionary reasonings why mutations often have limited impact on cellular growth. First, perturbations that hit one target often have no effect on the overall performance of a complex system (such as metabolic networks), as perturbations can be adjusted by reorganizing fluxes in metabolic networks, or changing regulation and expression of genes. Second, due to the fast evolvability of microbes, the effect of a perturbation can readily be alleviated by the evolution of compensatory mutations at other sites of the network. Understanding the extent of intrinsic and evolved robustness in cellular systems demands integrated analyses that combine functional genomics and computational systems biology with microbial evolutionary experiments. In collaboration with several leading research teams in the field, we plan to investigate the following issues. First, we will ask how accurately genome-scale metabolic network models can predict the impact of genetic deletions and other non-heritable perturbations. Second, to understand how the impact of genetic and drug perturbations can be mitigated during evolution, we will pursue a large-scale lab evolutionary protocol, and compare the results with predictions of computational models. Our work may suggest avenues of research on the general rules of acquired drug resistance in microbes.
Max ERC Funding
1 280 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-07-01, End date: 2013-06-30
Project acronym PIMCYV
Project Physiological Interactions between Marine Cyanobacteria and their Viruses
Researcher (PI) Debbie Lindell
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary Viruses (phages) influence many aspects of microbial processes including the population dynamics, diversity and evolution of their hosts. Yet we know practically nothing about the physiological interactions between hosts and phages during infection even though it is the outcome of these very interactions that affects the above-mentioned processes. Using marine cyanobacteria as a model system I propose to study the physiological interactions between ecologically important microbes and the phages that infect them to gain an understanding of the mechanisms through which they impact microbial ecology processes. Cyanobacteria are an important component of marine phytoplankton and contribute significantly to primary production in vast regions of the world’s oceans. The specific objectives of this proposed study are to: (1) Identify phage genes involved in taking over host metabolic processes; (2) Assess the fitness advantage to the phage provided by bacterial-like genes in phage genomes; (3) Develop a genetic manipulation system for cyanobacterial phages to determine the function of genes in (1) and (2); (4) Discover genes functioning in host defense mechanisms in diverse cyanobacterial-phage systems using whole-genome expression analysis and the generation of phage resistant strains; (5) Determine the impact of genes identified in (4) above on host fitness and phage development during infection. Discovery of the mechanisms employed by phage for taking over host metabolic processes and the defense mechanisms set into motion by the host to overcome phage infection will provide insight into how such interactions influence the diversity and evolution of both cyanobacteria and their phages. Furthermore, this study has high potential for uncovering new bacterial defense mechanisms as well as the discovery of novel viral mechanisms for shutting down bacterial metabolic processes, both of which may also have future practical applications.
Summary
Viruses (phages) influence many aspects of microbial processes including the population dynamics, diversity and evolution of their hosts. Yet we know practically nothing about the physiological interactions between hosts and phages during infection even though it is the outcome of these very interactions that affects the above-mentioned processes. Using marine cyanobacteria as a model system I propose to study the physiological interactions between ecologically important microbes and the phages that infect them to gain an understanding of the mechanisms through which they impact microbial ecology processes. Cyanobacteria are an important component of marine phytoplankton and contribute significantly to primary production in vast regions of the world’s oceans. The specific objectives of this proposed study are to: (1) Identify phage genes involved in taking over host metabolic processes; (2) Assess the fitness advantage to the phage provided by bacterial-like genes in phage genomes; (3) Develop a genetic manipulation system for cyanobacterial phages to determine the function of genes in (1) and (2); (4) Discover genes functioning in host defense mechanisms in diverse cyanobacterial-phage systems using whole-genome expression analysis and the generation of phage resistant strains; (5) Determine the impact of genes identified in (4) above on host fitness and phage development during infection. Discovery of the mechanisms employed by phage for taking over host metabolic processes and the defense mechanisms set into motion by the host to overcome phage infection will provide insight into how such interactions influence the diversity and evolution of both cyanobacteria and their phages. Furthermore, this study has high potential for uncovering new bacterial defense mechanisms as well as the discovery of novel viral mechanisms for shutting down bacterial metabolic processes, both of which may also have future practical applications.
Max ERC Funding
1 582 200 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-10-01, End date: 2013-09-30
Project acronym QUANTEVOL
Project Quantitative Evolution
Researcher (PI) Thomas Lenormand
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary In the context of unprecedented anthropogenic forcing in the living world, the speed and mechanisms of evolution remain the key to many questions ranging from pathogens adaptation to the dynamics of biodiversity. To what extent can evolutionary theory make predictions? What would be the time horizon of such predictions? These are the two questions I would like to address with this project. Experimental evolution with microbes is now a standard in studying evolution. It represents both unprecedented experimental progress in this field but also a real challenge to the theory. This project is organized into three parts. In the first, the aim is to develop mutation models to account for the diversity of possible mutation effects in evolutionary models. A major challenge is to be able to frame these models in terms of measurable quantities so that they can be tested and calibrated with appropriate data. The second aim is to build synthetic quantitative evolution models. Clearly, this development does not start from scratch. However, the development of current theory has to be made in two particular directions. First, it is necessary to incorporate the distribution of mutation fitness effects in evolutionary models. Second it is needed to incorporate explicit demography. In the third part, the aim is to develop empirical systems to confront the theory. One of the central issues is to develop biological models in which evolution can be measured on significant time scales. Microorganisms are ideal for this purpose and I will set up experiments with Escherichia coli to study niche evolution. However, it is also crucial to measure evolution in natura, so that I will also develop an alternative model system (Artemia spp.) with which field individuals several hundred generations apart can be compared and crossed. This unique model system will be particularly useful to test quantitative evolution models.
Summary
In the context of unprecedented anthropogenic forcing in the living world, the speed and mechanisms of evolution remain the key to many questions ranging from pathogens adaptation to the dynamics of biodiversity. To what extent can evolutionary theory make predictions? What would be the time horizon of such predictions? These are the two questions I would like to address with this project. Experimental evolution with microbes is now a standard in studying evolution. It represents both unprecedented experimental progress in this field but also a real challenge to the theory. This project is organized into three parts. In the first, the aim is to develop mutation models to account for the diversity of possible mutation effects in evolutionary models. A major challenge is to be able to frame these models in terms of measurable quantities so that they can be tested and calibrated with appropriate data. The second aim is to build synthetic quantitative evolution models. Clearly, this development does not start from scratch. However, the development of current theory has to be made in two particular directions. First, it is necessary to incorporate the distribution of mutation fitness effects in evolutionary models. Second it is needed to incorporate explicit demography. In the third part, the aim is to develop empirical systems to confront the theory. One of the central issues is to develop biological models in which evolution can be measured on significant time scales. Microorganisms are ideal for this purpose and I will set up experiments with Escherichia coli to study niche evolution. However, it is also crucial to measure evolution in natura, so that I will also develop an alternative model system (Artemia spp.) with which field individuals several hundred generations apart can be compared and crossed. This unique model system will be particularly useful to test quantitative evolution models.
Max ERC Funding
884 400 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-07-01, End date: 2013-06-30
Project acronym SPAECO
Project Spatial ecology: bringing mathematical theory and data together
Researcher (PI) Otso Tapio Ovaskainen
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2007-StG
Summary The goal of my research plan is to make fundamental progress in the understanding of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations inhabiting the heterogeneous and changing landscapes of the real world. To reach this goal, I will construct general and mathematically rigorous theories and develop novel statistical approaches linking the theories to data. In the mathematical part of the project, I will construct and analyze spatial and stochastic individual-based models formulated as spatiotemporal point processes. I have already made a methodological breakthrough by showing how such models can be analyzed in a mathematically rigorous manner. I plan to use and further develop the mathematical theory to study the interplay among endogenous and exogenous factors in spatial ecology, genetics, and evolution. To link the theory with data, I will develop novel combinations of forward (from process to pattern) and inverse (from pattern to process) approaches in the context of five empirical problems. First, I will build on the strong interaction between empirical studies and modelling in the Glanville fritillary butterfly to develop approaches that integrate genetics with ecology and evolutionary biology in highly fragmented landscapes. Second, I will investigate dead-wood dependent species as a model system of population dynamics in dynamic landscapes, bridging the current gap between data and theory in this system. Third, I will use existing data on butterflies, wolves and bears to study how animal movement depends on the interplay between landscape structure and movement behaviour and on intra- and interspecific interactions. Fourth, I will address fundamental questions in evolutionary quantitative genetics, e.g. the evolution of the matrix of additive genetic variances and covariances. Finally, I will develop Bayesian state-space approaches to root species distribution modelling more deeply in ecological theory.
Summary
The goal of my research plan is to make fundamental progress in the understanding of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations inhabiting the heterogeneous and changing landscapes of the real world. To reach this goal, I will construct general and mathematically rigorous theories and develop novel statistical approaches linking the theories to data. In the mathematical part of the project, I will construct and analyze spatial and stochastic individual-based models formulated as spatiotemporal point processes. I have already made a methodological breakthrough by showing how such models can be analyzed in a mathematically rigorous manner. I plan to use and further develop the mathematical theory to study the interplay among endogenous and exogenous factors in spatial ecology, genetics, and evolution. To link the theory with data, I will develop novel combinations of forward (from process to pattern) and inverse (from pattern to process) approaches in the context of five empirical problems. First, I will build on the strong interaction between empirical studies and modelling in the Glanville fritillary butterfly to develop approaches that integrate genetics with ecology and evolutionary biology in highly fragmented landscapes. Second, I will investigate dead-wood dependent species as a model system of population dynamics in dynamic landscapes, bridging the current gap between data and theory in this system. Third, I will use existing data on butterflies, wolves and bears to study how animal movement depends on the interplay between landscape structure and movement behaviour and on intra- and interspecific interactions. Fourth, I will address fundamental questions in evolutionary quantitative genetics, e.g. the evolution of the matrix of additive genetic variances and covariances. Finally, I will develop Bayesian state-space approaches to root species distribution modelling more deeply in ecological theory.
Max ERC Funding
1 501 421 €
Duration
Start date: 2008-07-01, End date: 2013-06-30
