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Project

(De)coupling across life-history stages: oxidative stress and carry-over effects across metamorphosis.

Most animals, including damselflies, have a life cycle with a larval stage separated from the adult stage by metamorphosis. There is evidence that these two life stages are not independent, indicating that the larval environment may influence adult traits. In this project I will investigate the (de)coupling of traits across metamorphosis with a focus on the mechanistic underpinnings. Firstly, I will study the negative coupling between larval growth rate and adult lifespan. Faster growing animals are likely to have higher levels of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when reactive oxygen species are generated that are not fully balanced by antioxidant defence and repair mechanisms and thereby generate oxidative damage to biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids, eventually leading to a shortening of the adult lifespan. Secondly, I will investigate the role of oxidative stress in coupling larval (swimming) and adult (flying) locomotor performance with special attention for muscle-specific oxidative damage and repair. In a final experiment, I will focus at macro-evolutionary patterns in the coupling within and across life stages by comparing different damselfly species along a pond permanence gradient with different selection regimes on larval growth rate and swimming speed. I will investigate the impact of this differential selection on performance and adult lifespan. As study organism I will use Lestes damselflies.

Date:1 Oct 2014 →  31 Dec 2021
Keywords:Oxidative stress
Disciplines:Ecology, Environmental science and management, Other environmental sciences