BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Causes and Consequences of Gut Microbiome Variation in Wild Birds - Dr Gabrielle Davidson (Department of Psychology\, University of Cambridg e\; Junior Research Fellow\, Wolfson College) DTSTART:20201204T180000Z DTEND:20201204T190000Z UID:TALK154375@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Julian Siebert DESCRIPTION:Animals are hosts to trillions of microbes. The microbial comm unity in the gut\, often referred to as the ‘gut microbiome’ can be sh aped by the environment and has an important role in regulating host healt h. Exciting new breakthroughs have identified a relationship between the g ut microbiome and host cognition through the so-called microbiome-gut-brai n axis. However\, research thus far is narrowly limited to lab rodents and observational studies in humans\, and therefore the generality of these f indings across species remains unclear. Understanding what causes this var iation in wild animals will provide novel insight into microbial-mediated ecological and evolutionary processes. For example\, seasonality and indiv idual differences in foraging will influence what animals eat\, causing ch anges to gut microbiome\, which in turn\, can influence behaviour and cogn ition. Here I will describe how the local environment shapes individual va riation in gut microbiota at difference life stages in a wild bird\, the g reat tit (Parus major). I will also demonstrate how the microbiota can pre dict fitness and problem solving performance in this species. Synopsis: Ga brielle is a comparative psychologist and a behavioural ecologist with a k een interest in the development\, function and evolution of cognition thro ugh the study of individual differences within species. Gabrielle is an Ea rly Career Research Fellow funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the Isaac Ne wton Trust studying the interplay between the gut microbiome\, cognition a nd behaviour in wild birds using the long-term nestbox population in Madin gley Woods. Gabrielle employs a mixture of field-based research using adva nced automated data collection devices\, cognitive assays in captivity and molecular techniques. This approach facilitates a comprehensive assessmen t of phenotypic traits in a natural habitat while also conducting manipula tive studies under controlled settings. She completed her PhD in Experimen tal Psychology at the University of Cambridge in 2014 where she studied be haviour in wild corvids (birds of the crow family). She then conducted a s hort post-doc studying the development of causal reasoning in juvenile Eur asian jays. At University College Cork\, Ireland she was a Senior Post-Doc toral Researcher where she studied proximate mechanisms of individual vari ation in cognitive abilities in wild great tits.\n\nRegister "here":https: //wolfson-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/1016038025751/WN_rgBKcjkkQX-m _fMfSZrUzQ LOCATION:Online END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR