Objective
Research in evolutionary biology has historically made use of rapidly evolving, species-rich groups as models to investigate the mechanisms of speciation: evolutionary radiations. However, most model radiations resulted from isolated events, and thus lack comparative power. Here, I propose a novel system in evolution: the Acraeini. This group of butterflies has several qualities that make it an ideal model: 1) it comprises 8 genera, differing in ecology and in geographic distribution; 2) 2 of these, Telchinia and Actinote, can be considered sister radiations, descended from a common ancestor, but distributed over Africa and Latin America respectively; 3) it is globally distributed, spanning Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America; 4) it is closely related to Heliconius butterflies, also an evolutionary radiation and a well-established speciation model system. All these qualities give the Acraeini substantial comparative power, making it an ideal model to investigate speciation dynamics and how they are affected by differing ecologies, continental distributions, and genetic infrastructure. In SpecMod, I focus on developing the Acraeini framework through 3 research objectives, achievable via a collaborative network of African, South American and European institutions. 1) Produce 13 new reference genomes covering all 8 genera and notable subgroups of species, to investigate patterns of gene evolution between different genera and continents and draw comparisons with gene evolution in Heliconius. 2) Compile a comprehensive collection of species-level ecological information, to test the effect of specific traits on speciation dynamics across species-rich and species-poor Acraeini genera. 3) Carry out mating experiments in Acraeini to investigate the behavioural and chemical ecology of sex role reversal, a seldom observed phenomenon in butterflies, where females perform courtship and produce chemical mating signals rather than males.
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 ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global 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-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
G12 8QQ Glasgow
United Kingdom
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.