Early-life environment and the potential for cascading maternal effects: an experimental approach.

• Applicant: Dr. Oscar Vedder
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 428800869

Maternal effects occur when the phenotype of a mother affects the phenotype of her offspring beyond the effect of the genes she contributes. They can have a large impact on offspring life histories and may lead to cascading effects across generations that influence the speed of evolution. The proposed research will make use of unique replicate lines of captive Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) selected for either high or low maternal investment in egg size, to gain more insight into the evolutionary dynamics of maternal effects. In particular, the role of the environment in shaping the potential of maternal effects to cause a multi-generational cascade of effects will be investigated. By combining a multi-generational controlled breeding design with experimental manipulation of the rearing environment, the research will answer questions regarding on the inheritance of maternal effects, the role the environment plays in this inheritance, the potential for cascading, or multi-generational, inheritance of maternal effects, and their consequences for age-specific survival and reproductive performance of mothers and their offspring.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants