Project

Adaptive maternal investment in relation ot environmental variation in teh Great Tit (Parus major)

Code
3F023707
Duration
01 October 2007 → 30 September 2011
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Promotor
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Animal biology
    • General biology
    • Genetics
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Veterinary medicine
Keywords
immune factors ectoparasites Great Tit Parus major evolution food availability fitness consequences maternal effects sex-allocation
 
Project description

Through controlled field experiments in a population of the Great Tit (Parus major) residing in the proximity of the city of Ghent, (i) the effect of food availability and pathogeny of the environment on maternal investment in egg yolk immune factors and sex-allocation, and (ii) the consequences of differential maternal investment on the offspring's fitness will be examined.