Project description
Studying the effects of environmental change on sleep
Sleep is a fundamental trait and process shared by the majority of the animal kingdom. While it’s crucial for the well-being of most animals, sleep can also lead to moments of inefficiency and vulnerability. However, this remains significantly understudied. To address this knowledge gap, the EU-funded SLEEPCHANGE project will study sleep processes and changes in reptiles and amphibians. The project will investigate the impact of environmental changes, such as biological invasions or urbanization, on sleep patterns. Additionally, it will explore electrophysiological and behavioural measures in response to changes such as population growth or increased stressors. The overall aim is to shed light on the intricate relationship between sleep and environmental factors in these animal groups.
Objective
Sleep is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and serves essential biological functions, yet, sleep incurs substantial costs in terms of
increased vulnerability to predators and reduced time for acquiring resources. How sleep is regulated by ecological factors (e.g.
predation) and expressed in the natural world is highly understudied, more so in non-model taxa of reptiles and amphibians. Further,
sleep can be comparatively and mechanistically understood through the lens of environmental change processes such as biological
invasion and urbanization. In this study, we propose to examine the degree of lability in sleep trait expression of reptiles and
amphibians under environmental change and how adaptive these responses are. We will employ a comprehensive suite of
electrophysiological and behavioural measures of sleep and quantify responses to, i) increased exploration during rapid population
expansion of early stage biological invasion, ii) reduced predation-risk during biological invasion, iii) novel stressor of night light due
to urbanization. The project will break new grounds in terms of quantification of sleep in non-model taxa using state-of-the-art
technology alongside behavioural measures, application of an eco-evolutionary framework to sleep research, and understanding the
role of global change processes in shaping sleep in the animal kingdom, thereby generating insights into the regulation and
expression of sleep in the natural world. Through the project, the researcher will learn neurophysiological techniques of sleep
quantification from the host and use novel technology developed by the collaborator. The host's distinguished academic record,
domain expertise in sleep electrophysiology of reptiles and amphibians, and large research network make him uniquely qualified to
transfer expertise to the researcher and help him build an interdisciplinary skillset and become an innovative academic in the field of
sleep ecophysiology research.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75005 Paris
France
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.