Josh Moatt

Josh Moatt

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Funded by: Leverhulme Trust

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I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. My research interests lie in life history trade-offs between lifespan and reproduction, particularly interventions which alter the resolution of this trade-off. My current research is exploring the evolutionary mechanisms underpinning dietary restriction (DR) responses. Further information about my research can be found on my website.

I carried out my PhD in the Walling Lab, using nutritional geometry to explore DR responses in a non-model vertebrate species. In line with my broader interests, the majority of this work explored how diet influenced the trade-off between lifespan and reproduction. However I also explored a wide range of other traits, including: senescence, condition (health), body composition, growth and activity. In addition to my experimental work, I carried out a meta-analysis exploring the universality of the reduction in reproduction under DR. This meta-analysis was carried out in collaboration with Dr Shinichi Nakagawa, University of New South Wales.

Prior to my PhD, I carried out an MSc (by Research) at The University of York with Dr Michael Thom (now University of Plymouth). This research focussed on the life-history trade-offs associated with plastic sperm competition responses in Drosophila melanogaster. Particularly I examined whether increased reproductive investment, due to a perceived high sperm competition environment, resulted in a reduction in longevity.

Publications:

Moatt JP, Savola E, Regan JC, Nussey DH & Walling CA 2020 Lifespan extension by dietary restriction: Time to reconsider the evolutionary mechanisms? BioEssays. 42:1900241

Regan JC, Froy H, Walling CA, Moatt JP & Nussey DH 2020 Dietary restriction and insulin-like signalling pathways as adaptive plasticity: a synthesis and re-evaluation. Functional Ecology. 34:107-128.

Hudson AL, Moatt JP & Vale PF 2020 Terminal investment strategies following infection are dependent on diet. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 33:309-317. BioRxiv version also available here.

Moatt JP, Fyfe M, Heap E, Mitchell LJM, Moon F & Walling CA 2019 Reconciling nutritional geometry with classical dietary restriction: effects of nutrient intake, not calories, on survival and reproduction. Aging Cell. e12868.

Wilbourn RV, Moatt JP, Froy H, Walling CA, Nussey DH & Boonekamp JJ 2018 The relationship between telomere length and mortality risk in non-model vertebrate systems: a meta-analysis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 373: 20160447

Moatt JP, Hambly C, Heap E, Kramer A, Moon F, Speakman JR & Walling CA 2017 Body macronutrient composition is predicted by lipid and not protein content of the diet. Ecology and Evolution 7: 10056-10065

Moatt JP, Nakagawa S, Laigisz M & Walling CA 2016 The effect of dietary restriction on reproduction: a meta-analytic perspective. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16. 199

Moatt JP, Dytham C & Thom MDF 2014 Sperm production responds to perceived sperm competition risk in male Drosophila melanogaster. Physiology & Behaviour 131: 111-114

Moatt JP, Dytham C & Thom MDF 2013 Exposure to sperm competition risk improves survival of virgin males. Biology Letters 9: 20121188

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Josh Moatt