Objective Current climate change is threatening biodiversity more than ever due to the speed at which climate variables are shifting. Coupled with omnipresent land-use change, they are the two factors considered as the most important threats to terrestrial biodiversity. Very little is known of the respective joint contributions of climate change and habitat heterogeneity on the genetic make-up of natural vertebrate populations, which ultimately act on gene flow, genetic structure, and evolutionary adaptation simultaneously. The aim of this project is to determine the respective roles of climate variation and habitat heterogeneity as key factors modulating (i) population genetic diversity and levels of gene flow across populations, and (ii) response to natural selection on key life history traits using contrasted but complementary analytical methods in a wild passerine bird. This proposal will use a unique long-term study of several natural populations of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus breeding in a mosaic of highly heterogeneous environments and monitored in Southern France and Corsica for the past 35 years. I will use a combination of approaches drawn from distinct fields in biological sciences, such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an analysis of climatic data. Coupled with a population and quantitative genetics approach, as well as statistical modelling using multi-state recapture models, I will generate an integrated picture of the interactions between environmental change (habitat and climatic) and genetic variability in wild, natural blue tit populations. Finally, and in collaboration with the Forest Biodiversity department of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, (iii) a meta-analytical approach will be taken to synthesise available evidence on the importance of gene flow and habitat connectivity vs. evolutionary adaptation as drivers of population resilience across taxa. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticshumanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesphysical geographycartographygeographic information systemsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) Coordinator CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS EU contribution € 201 932,40 Address RUE MICHEL ANGE 3 75794 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Jocelyn Mere (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data