Niche choice and niche conformance in colour polymorphic grasshoppers (A03)

• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions ; Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 316099922

Project A03 addresses niche choice and niche conformance in grasshopper model systems. Grasshoppers vary tremendously in colouration, and while some species are able to change their colour phenotype during development, others are fixed for their body colour by allelic variation. Different species thus have or lack the opportunity for niche conformance. The project studies how this difference affects niche choice. This offers a remarkable opportunity to study the interaction between different niche-alternating (NC3) mechanisms in closely related species with similar ecology.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 212: A Novel Synthesis of Individualisation across Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution: Niche Choice, Niche Conformance, Niche Construction (NC3)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bielefeld
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Holger Schielzeth