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SUMMARY:Maternal effects on meerkat social trajectories - Elise Huchard\, 
 Zoology
DTSTART:20121127T131000Z
DTEND:20121127T140000Z
UID:TALK40065@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Xinyi Liu
DESCRIPTION:Maternal influences on offspring phenotype extend far beyond t
 he transmission of maternal genes. Mothers may manipulate the quality of o
 ffspring early environment\, with long-lasting effects on their fitness. U
 nderstanding whether and how mothers can adjust offspring pre- and postnat
 al development to the environment they will encounter is a topical questio
 n in evolutionary biology. Indeed\, increasing appreciation of the importa
 nce of epigenetic effects – environmental effects on patterns of gene ex
 pression - is currently changing traditional views of development. My curr
 ent work aims at understanding the extent and significance of maternal con
 trol over offspring growth and social trajectories in a wild cooperative m
 ammal\, the meerkat (Suricata suricatta). I will briefly present the curre
 nt state of knowledge on maternal effects in social mammals\, before expla
 ining what insights may be gained from meerkat societies. 
LOCATION:The Richard King Room\, Darwin College
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