SOCIALITY-PARASITISM

Parasitic influences on an animal society

Coordinatore	KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET    more  Organization address postcode: 1017 contact info Titolo: Mr. Nome: Ivan Cognome: Kristoffersen Email: send email Telefono: 4535322626 Fax: 4535322780
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Denmark [DK]
Totale costo	0 €
EC contributo	204˙384 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008
Funding Scheme	MC-IEF
Anno di inizio	2010
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2010-03-01   -   2012-02-29

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET	DK	coordinator	204˙384.55

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Parasites are direct agents of natural selection, having significant effects on the reproductive success, life-history traits and phenotype of their hosts. Social insect colonies, by living in high density group of close relative individuals, offer favourable conditions for the spread of parasites. In response to infection, both infected and uninfected individuals exhibit behavioural changes that seem to reduce the risk of infection and the transmission of parasites. In order to shed new light on the interaction between social insect and their parasites we propose to study the consequences of ants' infection by two directly transmitted parasites a fungi and a bacteria. Trough comprehensive experimentation we will elucidate how infection affects host individuals and the whole colony at the chemical, behavioural and immune level. For the first time, we will explore the mechanisms responsible for the detection of infected individuals and the potential proximate causal link between the infection and the behavioural modifications. In addition, we will investigate whether changes in behaviour benefit the host as suggested by numerous studies or can be parasite adaptation aiming at increasing transmission. The proposed project will be the first to investigate whether ants immune response can be observed after exposition to chemicals extracted from infected individual. This multidisciplinary approach will significantly stimulate innovative and creative research in, for instance, providing insight into how group living may improve the survivorship of colony members despite the increased risks of parasite transmission that can accompany sociality'