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Content archived on 2024-05-27

Testing the limits and potential of evolution in response to climate change

Objective

BACKGROUND: Predicting the consequences of rapid environmental change for biodiversity is a critical global issue. However, we lack data on how quickly populations will evolve to escape extinction. Such evolution is especially important to specialist organisms that depend on other species as hosts or prey. Understanding limits to adaptation depends on knowing how genetic variation affects the fitness of organisms in natural habitats rather than the lab. Recent advances in genomic technology finally make this possible.
OBJECTIVE: I will exploit these novel technologies and integrate them with fitness assays in ecological experiments to explore recent evolution in the Brown Argus butterfly. By linking genome-wide variation with individual fitness and population ecology, I will investigate the nature of genetic variation underpinning ecologically important traits such as host plant preference and fecundity, and the role this variation plays in shaping adaptive population divergence across the northward expanding range in the UK.
STRATEGY: My research and training will be guided by world-leading researchers with expertise in: evolution at species’ margins; the generation and analysis of large-scale genomic data; and using such data to infer the ecological context in which evolution occurred. This fellowship will take the Brown Argus system forward as a model to study adaptation to climate change. The impact of my research on policy will be maximised by exposure to Bristol’s world-class environment for engagement with industry and the public
LONG-TERM RELEVANCE: Developing expertise in genomics is critical to take my science forward; researchers with such skills are also in high demand. Expert mentoring at Bristol will boost my development as an independent PI, placing me in an ideal position for fellowship applications. By testing key predictions from theory using real populations, the project will also make an important contribution to EU scientific excellence.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
EU contribution
€ 221 606,40
Address
BEACON HOUSE QUEENS ROAD
BS8 1QU Bristol
United Kingdom

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Region
South West (England) Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area Bristol, City of
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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