Project description
Seabirds as nature’s fertiliser engineers
Seabird colonies do more than host charismatic wildlife – they reshape entire ecosystems. By depositing nutrient-rich guano, these birds fertilise coastal and marine environments, boosting productivity in ways scientists are only beginning to understand. In this context, the EU-funded SeabirdNutri project explores how seabirds influence food webs by acting as natural nutrient pumps. Using the advanced Ecopath with Ecosim modelling tool, the research will quantify the ecological impact of seabird-driven nutrient flows in temperate and subtropical regions. It will also assess how climate change and population shifts might alter these dynamics. The project bridges science and conservation, offering new insights into seabird roles in ocean health and informing better protection strategies for marine ecosystems.
Objective
Seabirds are vectors of nutrients and can drastically change the conditions of their habitat through guano, rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. Guano functions as a potent fertilizer and influences primary producers by conditioning their abundance, biodiversity, and fitness. As part of a phenomenon estimated to be comparable in magnitude to other major biogeochemical cycles, seabirds become the most influential link in the places where they form their colonies. The objective of this project is to investigate the impact and importance of seabirds as pumps of primary productivity in the adjacent marine food webs of their colonies, and its implications to conservation and management of the oceans. To achieve this goal, I will adapt and apply a state-of-the-art method, Ecopath with Ecosim, developed to characterize food webs, in an innovative context: to describe the connectivity of nutrients between ecosystems by seabirds. I will estimate and compare the nutrient contribution by seabirds in subtropical and temperate marine environments surrounding their colonies and the spatial and seasonal extent of its influence in the marine food web; understand the impact of changes in seabird populations on the marine food web; and model impacts of global changes on the food web of key seabird foraging areas according to different ‘what-if’ climate and anthropogenic scenarios. I will do a secondment at Birdlife International with the aim to discuss approaches to this project, pass on the knowledge gained, acquire new perspectives and approaches to seabird research and conservation, and discuss the impact of this line of research for seabird conservation in the North Atlantic. The MSCA will prepare me for the next step in my career and will act as a springboard that will expand the opportunities of positions and projects to which I can apply, while being more competitive. As well as the possibilities of me getting a permanent position and lead a research group, as it is my goal.
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 zoology ornithology
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
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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.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02
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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.
1749 016 Lisbon
Portugal
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.