How finch parents influence their chick's gut microbiome - research_tv
Behavioural ecologists from Bielefeld are investigating genetic and social factors. In this new episode of research_tv they draw their conclusion.
Genes or the environment: Which has a stronger effect on the development of an individual?
A study by behavioural ecologists suggests that the question needs to be asked differently: At what points in life do genes and when does the environment have a stronger influence on the individual?
In the study, the researchers looked at zebra finches. Their approach: They analysed how the gut microbiome of young chicks changes over time. To find out how environmental conditions affect the bacterial composition in the gut, they did not let the chicks hatch and grow up with their genetic parents, but with another bird species, the Bengalese finch.
In the new episode of research_tv, the researchers present their study and their surprising findings. The study was published in the journal Microbiome. For the study, the behavioural ecologists cooperated with geneticists from the Centre for Biotechnology (CeBiTec) at Bielefeld University.
The study is part of the Bielefeld research on individualisation in changing environments. Bielefeld University cooperates on this topic with the University of Münster—in the joint institute JICE, the research network InChangE funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Collaborative Research Centre NC³ (SFB/TRR 212) funded by the German Research Foundation DFG.
http://www.jice.info
