Project description
What dinosaurs ate, and why it mattered
The rise of dinosaurs stretched over 30 million years amid shifting climates, collapsing ecosystems, and fierce competition. The ecological strategies that allowed dinosaurs to outlast rivals remain elusive. With this in mind, the ERC-funded DINO-DIGEST project aims to study fossilised digestive remains to learn about the ‘who-ate-whom’ dynamics. By analysing bromalites with high-resolution imaging and biomolecular techniques, researchers are reconstructing ancient food webs and predator-prey relationships. The project traces how early dinosaur diets and ecological roles evolved. The result is a new, ecosystem-level view of dinosaur success, one that may also shed light on how life responds to environmental upheaval, past and present.
Objective
The early radiation of dinosaurs, spanning approximately 30 million years from their emergence to dominance of terrestrial ecosystems, remains a complex and poorly understood evolutionary event. While previous studies have focused mainly on phylogenetic aspects, less attention has been given to the ecological dynamics that drove their success. This project aims to fill that gap by employing a novel, multidisciplinary approach to investigate the early evolution of dinosaurs through the lens of their dietary and trophic interactions. By analysing bromalites (fossil digestive remains) using cutting-edge methods like synchrotron microtomography, I will infer the food webs in which early dinosaurs participated, shedding light on how their diets and ecological roles evolved. Comparative analysis across Pangean regions and different time periods will enable the construction of a comprehensive palaeoecological model, highlighting key factors in their rise to dominance. Furthermore, I will apply biomolecular techniques adapted from archaeological geochemistry to identify preserved organics within these fossils, providing unprecedented insights into predator-prey relationships. These findings will be integrated into a holistic eco-evolutionary model, offering new perspectives on dinosaur success with broader implications for understanding mass extinction dynamics and current biodiversity crises. To achieve this, I will collaborate with leading experts and engage a team of PhD students and postdocs, ensuring the project’s multidisciplinary goals are met.
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.
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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)
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
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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-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.
751 05 Uppsala
Sweden
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.