Female competition and maternal effects in a social mammal

社会哺乳动物中的雌性竞争和母性效应

• 批准号: 2490926
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2490926
• 关键词: Female; competition; maternal; effects; social

Maternal effects have important roles in a broad range of ecological and evolutionary processes, such as population dynamics, phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary responses to selection. This project will investigate how female competition drives such effects in a social mammal. The student will develop and test hypotheses to investigate how the competitive environment experienced by mothers influences the growth, behaviour and fertility of their offspring. An experimental approach will utilise a model social vertebrate, the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus), under carefully controlled semi-natural conditions. We will explore how contrasting social conditions (e.g. the presence or absence of competitors) affect maternal care and physiology, and test how the maternal competitive phenotype and social environment interact to influence offspring development (e.g. offspring growth, fertility, social behaviour and competitive ability). In addition to advancing fundamental understanding of maternal and early-life effects in a social context, this project has potential applications in the management of animal populations for conservation and other purposes. The need to better understand maternal influences under competitive conditions has been highlighted by several recent high-profile studies in natural populations. This project thus offers a timely opportunity to test emerging hypotheses. The experimental approach of manipulating the social environment in a model vertebrate allows for a rigorous context within which the student can develop and test new ideas. Combined with the application of a range of analytical techniques for assaying hormonal responses, behaviour and fertility, this promises significant new insights for understanding responses of social animals to environmental change, with impact for managing natural populations.

母体效应在广泛的生态和进化过程中具有重要作用，如种群动态、表型可塑性和对选择的进化反应。这个项目将研究雌性竞争如何在社会哺乳动物中驱动这种效应。学生将开发和测试假设，以调查母亲所经历的竞争环境如何影响其后代的生长，行为和生育能力。一种实验方法将在仔细控制的半自然条件下利用一种社会性脊椎动物模型，家鼠（Mus musculus acuticus）。我们将探讨对比的社会条件（如竞争对手的存在或不存在）如何影响产妇的护理和生理，并测试产妇的竞争表型和社会环境如何相互作用，影响后代的发展（如后代的生长，生育能力，社会行为和竞争能力）。除了在社会背景下促进对母亲和早期生命影响的基本理解外，该项目还具有潜在的应用于动物种群的保护和其他目的的管理。最近在自然种群中进行的几项备受瞩目的研究强调了更好地了解竞争条件下母体影响的必要性。因此，该项目为检验新出现的假设提供了一个及时的机会。在脊椎动物模型中操纵社会环境的实验方法允许学生在严格的背景下开发和测试新的想法。结合应用一系列分析技术来测定激素反应，行为和生育力，这有望为理解社会动物对环境变化的反应提供重要的新见解，并对管理自然种群产生影响。