Project description
Mapping vertical amphibian communities in threatened tropical rainforests
Tropical rainforests are home to unparalleled biodiversity, in part due to their complex 3D structures, which create stacked vertical microhabitats. Amphibians – moisture-sensitive bioindicators abundant in forest canopies – are among the inhabitants whose vertical distributions remain almost entirely unknown. Selective logging destroys the structure and microclimate distribution, but the impact is unclear. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the LEAP project will pioneer a highly accurate 3D spatial and temporal mapping approach – ‘vertically structured acoustic monitoring’. It will combine rope-access surveys, GPS-synchronised microphone array data, and deep learning. Applying it could, for the first time, reveal how logging drives vertical community collapse and alters acoustic interaction networks.
Objective
Tropical rainforests sustain unparalleled biodiversity, but are under increasing threat from anthropogenic change. Their complex three-dimensional structure creates steep vertical gradients in light, humidity, temperature, and wind, resulting in stacked microhabitats that foster unique communities. However, ecological research has largely treated them as flat, two-dimensional landscapes. Amphibians—moisture-sensitive ectotherms and powerful bioindicators—are abundant canopy inhabitants, yet their vertical distributions remain almost entirely unknown. Selective logging collapses canopy cover, rewires microclimates, and fragments movement pathways, but we lack quantitative evidence of how these changes restructure amphibian communities and their interactions.
This fellowship will pioneer Vertically Structured Acoustic Monitoring (VSAM), integrating rope-access surveys, GPS-synchronised microphone arrays, 3D triangulation of calls, and convolutional neural networks. Using this novel method we will generate data on species identities, positions, and acoustic behaviours with temporal and spatial accuracy unachievable with current methods. By applying VSAM in primary and logged Bornean forests, we will: (1) map 3D distributions of amphibians; (2) test whether logging drives vertical community collapse and compositional simplification; and (3) reconstruct acoustic interaction networks to quantify how disturbance alters temporal, spatial, and frequency (hz) niche-partitioning.
The project will deliver the first ever assessment of logging impacts on vertical stratification of amphibian communities, develop open-source software for wider biodiversity monitoring, and provide exciting opportunities for two-way transfer of knowledge between the fellow and the host. This project supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 by delivering essential biodiversity baselines and open monitoring tools—critical for assessing resilience of ecosystems to land-use and climate change.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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E1 4NS LONDON
United Kingdom
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