Details of Award
NERC Reference : NER/A/S/2003/00490
Dietary antioxidants, lifespan and mate attraction in fish.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor NB Metcalfe, University of Glasgow, Environmental and Evolutionary Biology
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr JE Lindstrom, University of Glasgow, College of Medical, Veterinary, Life Sci
- Grant held at:
- University of Glasgow, Environmental and Evolutionary Biology
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Environmental Physiology
- Environment & Health
- Population Genetics/Evolution
- Behavioural Ecology
- Abstract:
- It is widely accepted that there is a negative effect of current breeding effort on subsequent survival. This is usually assumed to reflect a physiological trade-off between investment in reproduction and investment in body maintenance, but this is poorly understood. In this study we propose that antioxidant defence might provide a causal link between sexual signalling, reproductive performance and lifespan. The sexual coloration of a male, his ability to provide parental care and the likelihood of him surviving to breed again may all be influenced by his access to dietary carotenoids. In a combination of experimental and theoretical work we will test the effect of diet quality (specifically, the carotenoid content) on sexual attractiveness, parental care and ability to fight the rate of senescence in a short-lived species, the three-spined stickleback. We will then explore how the trade-offs between these factors influence optimal reproductive tactics for each sex. This novel work has implications for the evolution and honesty of sexual signals, the relationship between signal effort and future reproductive success and the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. It also explores why sexual signals should be based on limiting nutrients in the natural environment.
- NERC Reference:
- NER/A/S/2003/00490
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £209,096
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Equipment | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,918 | £118,801 | £17,867 | £15,863 | £54,648 |
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