Project description
Identifying the evolution of Spanish caudates
Caudates, one of the three living lineages of amphibians, are a diverse group that depend on water for reproduction and development. They serve as important palaeoecological indicators. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PlioCaudates project will study caudates from the Camp del Ninots Lagerstätte using micro-computed tomography (μCT) scans to create a taxonomic framework and analyse shape differences through three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The study will investigate sexual dimorphism in Spanish caudates by comparing morphological characteristics between sexes. It will also identify Pliocene-aged caudates using Bayesian phylogenetics to establish the timeline of when these fossils originated relative to their living relatives, thereby enhancing our understanding of caudate evolution in the Neogene.
Objective
Caudates, one of three extant lineages of amphibians, are a rich and diverse clade that rely heavily on water for reproduction and development and are known to be important palaeoecological indicators. Records indicate that less than 10% of Neogene caudates are known to be preserved as articulated skeletons, and in Lagerstätte type of preservation is even rarer still. This study will investigate caudates from the Camp del Ninots Lagerstätte using micro-computed tomography scans (μCT) to build a taxonomic framework and use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to analyse shape differences for phylogenetic/taxonomic value. This study will also compare morphological shape differences using μCT of caudates from different sexes and determine whether there are sexual dimorphic morphological characters within Spanish caudates. Morphological characters and genomic data will be combined to identify Pliocene aged caudates recovered from the Camp del Ninots Lagerstätte using Bayesian phylogenetics, which will provide time-calibrations of when the Spanish fossil caudates originated in comparison to extant congeners. Caudates identified by Bayesian phylogenetic methods will then act as fossil calibration points to phylogeographically determine how caudates dispersed spatio-temporally into Spain from Africa or the rest of Europe. It is hoped that this research can improve our understanding of caudate evolution in the Neogene, but also how we can project caudate responses to climatic change in the future and mitigate biodiversity loss.
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 earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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)
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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)
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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
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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43007 Tarragona
Spain
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