Project description
New insights to address species extinctions
Human-caused biodiversity loss, with its impact on ecosystems, has a far-reaching history, including the extinction of unique species in Corsica and Sardinia. While large vertebrates vanished soon after human arrival, small endemic mammals disappeared between the late prehistoric and Roman periods, coinciding with the expansion of Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BioXtinct project will use cutting-edge techniques like GMM, DMTA and direct 14C dating to leverage the rich archaeozoological record of the Tyrrhenian islands. It focuses on emblematic species like Prolagus sardus and rodents Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli and Rhagamys orthodon to explore how past human-induced environmental changes connect with historical and archaeological records.
Objective
Human-caused biodiversity loss, including the extinction of a broad range of species, has dramatically increased over the years, with enormous repercussions on ecosystems worldwide. However, present-day species extinctions are only the latest stage in a considerably longer-term sequence stretching far back into the Holocene, when several extirpation events occurred in the prehistorical and historical eras. A remarkable case is the extinction of the last endemic small mammals of Corsica and Sardinia: while the large vertebrate fauna extinction occurred soon after the first human arrival (ca. 12,000 years ago), the small endemic mammals vanished much later, between the late prehistoric and Roman periods (8th c. BC5th c. AD), precisely at the moment when colonial agents as Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans expanded and intensified trade networks. Although the disappearance of these species has been linked to anthropogenic causes, it remains uncertain whether this event occurred in both islands simultaneously as the result of a single, rapid cause or as a result of several interrelated causes. This project attempts to redress this imbalance and establish a new empirical framework by integrating cutting-edge analyses (GMM, DMTA, and direct 14C dating) with the abundant but underutilized archaeozoological record of the Tyrrhenian islands. This project will focus on three of these islands most emblematic speciesthe pika Prolagus sardus and the rodents Microtus (Tyrrhenicola) henseli and Rhagamys orthodonas proxies to investigate the mechanisms and effects of past human-induced environmental changes and how this is interconnected with the colonial and cultural exchange evidenced in the historical and archaeological records. Integrating archaeozoological data with other source materials is not only crucial to develop richer and more nuanced view of past cultural practices but also can help to elucidate innovative solutions of the ongoing extinctions.
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 ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.