Project description
Understanding miniaturisation in vertebrate evolution
Miniaturisation (a reduction in body size that alters anatomy and ecology) has played a crucial role in vertebrate evolution, driven by genomic changes. The ERC-funded GEMINI project will investigate the relationship between organismal miniaturisation and genomes, focusing on how morphological changes occur. The project will create chromosome-level genomes from 20 sister species (one miniaturised and one non-miniaturised) within the subphylum Vertebrata, generating 23 genomes using advanced sequencing technologies. It will then apply cutting-edge methods in comparative evolutionary genomics to identify genetic signatures linked to miniaturisation and test hypotheses about the factors driving or limiting this phenomenon. Finally, the project will explore whether there is a common basis for digit loss in the smallest tetrapods, specifically frogs.
Objective
Miniaturisation—the evolution of such reduced body size that anatomy or ecology is substantially altered—has been a defining force in vertebrate evolution. These changes must have a genomic basis. My ambition with GEMINI is to characterise the interplay between organismal miniaturisation and the genome, and discover how morphological transformations can arise in these organisms. To do this, I will produce a new comparative genomic paradigm in Work Package 1 (WP1) comprising chromosome-level genomes from 20 sister-pairs of miniaturised and non-miniaturised species spanning subphylum Vertebrata. Of these 40 genomes, 23 will be newly generated using the latest sequencing technologies and annotation pipelines. I will apply a host of cutting-edge methods in comparative evolutionary genomics to identify genomic signatures of miniaturisation (WP2), and test hypotheses regarding the drivers and limiters of miniaturisation (WP3) on this paradigm. I will then integrate these findings with developmental approaches to establish if there is a common basis to a classic case of convergent, miniaturisation-induced anatomical change: digit loss in the smallest tetrapods, frogs (WP4). GEMINI will dramatically change our understanding of the evolution of miniaturisation. It will set the stage for larger-scale interrogation of the evolution of novelty in metazoans, and help us understand why being small is such a big deal.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine anatomy and morphology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2024-STG
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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.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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.