Project description
Forecasting the future of island ecosystems
Global changes are reshaping plant life and shifting climate zones, altering where species can survive. Rising sea levels, changing land use, and the spread of invasive species are transforming natural communities, yet their impact on biodiversity remains unclear. The ERC-funded Isl-Traits project aims to study how these pressures affect coastal islands and fragmented mainland habitats using resampled plant data. Islands host unique biodiversity and are especially vulnerable to sea-level rise and invasions, offering insights into habitat fragmentation. By analysing plant traits, the project explores species’ arrivals and disappearances, anticipating future changes under global warming and informing strategies to protect island ecosystems.
Objective
Global change is altering vegetation, with climate zones shifting poleward and species distributions changing. Rising sea levels, land-use change, and invasive species further modify natural vegetation, leading to the reassembly of native communities. However, the rates and patterns of community changes across different vegetation types, along with their consequences for biodiversity, remain unclear. This proposal explores the effects of global change on coastal islands and mainland habitat fragments using resampled vegetation data. Islands, which support unique biodiversity and are particularly threatened by rising sea levels and invasive species, serve as models for understanding the effects of fragmentation on the mainland. The overarching aims of this proposal are to: (i) advance island biogeography by characterizing plant ecological strategies on islands through functional traits, focusing on immigration and extinction dynamics; (ii) describing potential futures under global warming; (iii) compare assemblage dynamics on islands with those in fragmented mainland habitats; and (iv) synthesise findings towards effective conservation strategies for coastal island vegetation. The strengths of this proposal include its focus on islands as simplified systems, the use of a unique dataset with resurveyed vegetation, and the synthesis of findings from both island and mainland habitats. Understanding differences between island and mainland assemblages will be key to predicting the future of island ecosystems.
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 earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic zones
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology invasive species
- social sciences sociology demography human migrations
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography
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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)
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-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.
6108 Halle
Germany
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.