Intergenerational transfer of ageing in nature

Principal researcher: David Canal 

Period: 2025-2027

Parental age may have significant effects on offspring performance, but the prevalence, and magnitude of such effects as well as their consequences on offspring life history trajectories remain poorly understood in natural populations. Using a wild bird model system and focusing on parental age effects, this proposal will enhance our knowledge of under-studied aspects of ageing in natural contexts. These include examining: i) the effect of parental age at conception on multiple aspects of offspring performance (physiological condition, survival, and reproductive success); ii) whether a shorter lifespan in offspring is due to greater frailty or an earlier onset of senescence; iii) the extent to which a reduced lifespan in the offspring of old parents impact their fitness and life history strategies, including whether reproductive trajectories are adjusted to compensate for reduced viability; iv) whether parental age effect on offspring are sex-specific and/or v) due to maternal, paternal or both parental lines; v) the relationship between parental microbiome at age of conception on offspring gut microbiome. Particularly, the role of the gut microbiome in ageing in natural contexts is in its infancy. Together, these analyses will provide us with comprehensive insights into the drivers of ageing in a natural bird population. 

Ageing in the wild: patterns and sources of ageing variation in a passerine bird

Principal researcher: David Canal 

Period: 2024-2028

Ageing, the progressive loss of physiological integrity with age, lead to the decline in reproductive performance and/or survival, also known as senescence. Contrary to initial assumptions, research in recent decades indicates that senescence is ubiquitous in nature, particularly among vertebrate species. However, whereas previous studies have revealed a great diversity in ageing patterns within and among individuals and across species, the underlying causes and mechanisms of this variation remain poorly understood, particularly in wild populations. Thus, investigating the sources and context-dependence of ageing variation in natural systems is a crucial next step to advance our understanding of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Using a wild bird model system, the project will focus on several under-explored aspects of ageing in natural populations. Specifically, we aim to: i) examine ageing trajectories of multiple traits within- and between-individuals and between sexes; ii) investigate intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of individual variation in ageing, such as genetics, natal environmental conditions and reproductive decisions; ii) study the role of the gut microbiome as a critical mediator of ageing. Through these objectives, the proposed research will significantly expand our understanding of the patterns and architecture of ageing in natural contexts, a phenomenon that is inherently interconnected with multiple basic and applied fields.

Climate change induces eco-evolutionary dynamics of integrated phenotypes

Principal researcher: David Canal

Period: 2023-2028

One of the most alarming human-induced rapid environmental changes is climate change, which has already had considerable effects on the Earth's ecosystems. Hence, it becomes crucial to understand how populations respond to such changes. Hence, it becomes crucial to understand how populations respond to such changes. This task inherently requires a multidisciplinary framework, as identifying the critical environmental factors is an ecological problem, while population responses can be understood in an evolutionary context. The notion that ecology and evolution are intertwined in the short term provides a new synthetic but still developing framework. The concept of eco-evolutionary dynamics relies on phenotypic integration, whereby a suite of traits interacts at both the genetic and phenotypic levels, resulting in a complex network of interactions that remain largely uncharacterised in natural systems. To fill this gap, I will investigate the phenotypic integration of multiple phenotypes in an avian model population to i) examine the relative influence of multiple biotic- and non-biotic environmental factors, ii) identify the target phenotypes -life history, behavioural or morphological-, or the correlation structure thereof, that selection act upon, and iii) examine the degree by these responses are mediated by phenotypic plasticity or genetic changes. Furthermore, by comparing multiple populations across the species distribution range, iv) I will assess the relative role of different eco-evolutionary mechanisms that promote local adaptation at a biogeographical scale. Thus, the proposed research will solidly expand our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to adaptation to predictable and unpredictable environmental changes, with fundamental implications for the origin and maintenance of biodiversity