Project description
Solving the mystery of cryptogams in warming world
The Earth's polar regions are in crisis, with Antarctica and the Arctic experiencing unprecedented warming. This climate change is causing significant disruptions to ecosystems and biodiversity. Cryptogams, which include bryophytes and lichens, are vital regulators of nutrient cycling and soil moisture. However, they face an uncertain future due to taxonomic challenges that hinder our understanding of their response to climate change. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the BIPOLAR project will study bipolar cryptogams found at both poles to bridge knowledge gaps on their climatic niches and potential for adaptation under future warming. Using interdisciplinary approaches, BIPOLAR will compile various types of data, both open access and through Arctic fieldwork, and quantify species' climatic niches. This project contributes to polar biodiversity conservation amid escalating climate rates and strengthens Arctic-Antarctic research links.
Objective
Earth’s polar regions are warming at unprecedented rates. Antarctica is experiencing rapid regional warming, and the Arctic has warmed up to four times the global average. In response, vascular plants have experienced shifts in species’ abundance and distribution. Polar regions host large richness of cryptogam species (bryophytes and lichens), which are essential ecosystem regulators that contribute to nutrient cycling, soil moisture and energy balance. Despite these crucial roles and expectations that cryptogams can be seriously affected by climate change, taxonomical challenges hinder our understanding of their current trends. BIPOLAR will tackle this knowledge gap by quantifying polar cryptogams’ climatic niches to understand their potential for climate change adaptation. Both poles contain similar habitats shaped by extreme conditions, but the Arctic is warming more rapidly than Antarctica, and ecological processes have been more extensively documented there. BIPOLAR is an interdisciplinary project that will provide a window into the future of Antarctic cryptogams by using the Arctic as a sentinel region via bipolar cryptogam species (i.e. present at the two poles). BIPOLAR will combine a variety of methods and data (i.e. palaeoecology, open-access datasets, fieldwork and Bayesian statistics), and employ historical and current data to inform future projections. The three objectives of BIPOLAR are: 1) Compiling and standardising bipolar cryptogam data from multiple sources, 2) Quantifying past, present and future macro- and micro-climatic niches, and identifying winner and loser cryptogam species, and 3) Validating species occurrence and climate data through fieldwork. This research will provide a foundation for conservation as these regions become progressively more ice- and snow-free, while strengthening currently fragmented Arctic and Antarctic research links and bringing together the polar research community.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology ethnolichenology
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics statistics and probability bayesian statistics
- natural sciences biological sciences biodiversity conservation
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences palaeontology paleoecology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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-2023-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.
08193 BELLATERRA
Spain
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.