Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/K000594/1
Biological rhythms in the beach amphipod Talitrus saltator
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr DC Wilcockson, Aberystwyth University, IBERS
- Grant held at:
- Aberystwyth University, IBERS
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Animal behaviour
- Biological clocks
- Circadian rhythm (animals)
- Behavioural Ecology
- Gene action & regulation
- Transcriptional regulation
- Translational regulation
- Abstract:
- All living things, from bacteria to humans have biological 'clocks' that enable them to keep time with their surrounding environment which is how we humans tend to wake up at roughly the same time each day! Remarkably, these internal timing mechanisms, which are normally found in the brains of animals, continue to work even when the organism is separated from cues, such as cycles of night and day. Biological clocks are extremely important because organisms can prepare in advance for bouts of activity, growth, mating and other necessary activity at the most appropriate part of the day to avoid predators, find food or mates. Therefore they contribute significantly to the survival and success of all organisms. We now know that the clock mechanisms in different plants and animals that have been studied share striking similarities in the molecules that drive them but, most of our understanding comes from work on a very few 'model organisms' such as the fruit fly. The fruit fly, and nearly all terrestrial organisms, uses the night and day light cycles to synchronise their clocks to local conditions. Consequently their rhythmic behaviour and physiology recurs on a cycle of about 24h. However, marine plants and animals are exposed to many different cyclic events such as the tide coming in and out (tidal clocks; every 12.4h), lunidian (cycles of tidal height; 12.8h) and even changes in tidal range (spring and neap tides) caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun (semilunar clocks; 14d). Although it is well known that many marine species time their behaviour and physiology to these different events, we know very little about their how their internal clocks work. For instance, do they have the same molecular 'cogs' as daily clocks but 'run' at a different speed, or do they have dedicated 'tidal', 'lunidian' or 'semilunar' clocks? This project will decipher the genetic and biochemical basis of cyclic behaviours in the sand-hopper, Talitrus saltator. In the UK this small crustacean emerges from its burrow in the sand at night to feed. It navigates up and down the shore by moving towards the light of the sea horizon in the night but just before dawn it turns back and is drawn to the dark of the land. The emergence and light/dark preferences of the sand-hopper are under clock control and continue to be expressed even if they are kept artificially in total darkness. In the Mediterranean the same species navigate in a different way- by using the position of the sun and moon as their guide. This must also require a sense of time because as the Earth rotates, the sun and the moon appear to move across the sky and the sand-hopper must compensate for this to keep on course. I will compare the UK sand-hoppers to those of the Mediterranean to determine whether their clocks are geared differently or even if they have multiple clocks in their brains. The outcomes of this work could have important impacts on our understanding of biological clocks, how they have evolved and adapted to suit the prevailing environmental conditions and how they contribute to the success of the organism and their interactions with other species.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/K000594/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- New Investigators (FEC)
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- New Investigators
This grant award has a total value of £75,125
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Investigators | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs | DI - T&S | DA - Other Directly Allocated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £25,187 | £12,443 | £22,116 | £6,774 | £4,202 | £3,614 | £790 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.