Project description
Integrating fossils into the tree of life
Understanding the history of life depends on the fossil record, yet current methods for reconstructing evolutionary trees struggle to fully integrate fossil data. Fossils lack genetic sequences, so analyses rely on morphological traits, which interact with genetic information and taxonomic assignments in ways that existing models cannot capture, potentially biasing estimates of species’ ages and diversification. The ERC-funded MORPHOFBD project aims to develop new models tailored to fossil data, accounting for the interplay between morphological evolution, diversification, and sampling. Validated through simulations and applied to multiple datasets, including previously unstudied groups, these methods promise more accurate phylogenies, offering a refined and comprehensive view of biodiversity’s evolution through time.
Objective
The fossil record provides crucial evidence to inform our study of evolution and past diversification processes. Recent methodological developments have allowed to integrate fossil species directly into the reconstruction of phylogenetic trees, providing more accurate estimates of the age of evolutionary events as well as speciation and extinction through time. However, the current methods fail to account for many of the specific characteristics of fossil samples compared to extant species. Genetic sequences are usually unavailable for fossils, so phylogenetic inferences including fossils rely on morphological characters. This morphological information interacts with other components of the analysis, such as the genetic sequence alignment, or the sorting of fossil samples into a taxonomy itself informed by morphological traits. These interactions are not accounted for by current models and could lead to strong biases in the estimates of the phylogeny, its ages and its underlying diversification process.
To address these issues, the proposed project will build a new methodological framework for integrating the complex interplay between morphological evolution, diversification, and fossil sampling. We will develop new models adapted to fossil data, which will be carefully validated using realistic simulations, and then applied to several empirical datasets. Some of these datasets will serve as a comparison of our new approach to existing methods. Other datasets have never been studied under a combined phylogenetic framework with fossil evidence before, so our analyses will form a new understanding of their diversification, and build a high-quality phylogeny for future work on these groups. In conclusion, this project will pave the way for efficiently combining information on past and present species into a highly accurate and nuanced representation of the evolution of biodiversity through time.
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 morphology comparative morphology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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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)
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-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-2025-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.
75794 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.