Project description
Rapid adaptation in Iceland’s altered arctic landscapes
Humans change landscapes. In the Arctic, ecosystems are impacted by human activities such as forest plantations in Iceland. What does this mean in terms of biodiversity? Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ARCTICADAPT project will answer this question by focusing on common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), which has adapted to non-native pine plantations in Iceland. The project will shed light on their adaptations for successful colonisation. It will analyse beak shape, diet and genetics, including a field expedition to collect data and a collaboration with the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. The goal for Icelandic crossbills to become models for understanding the developmental basis of rapid adaptations and their role in biodiversity conservation.
Objective
Human activity is reshaping Arctic ecosystems, as illustrated by extensive forest plantations in Iceland since the mid-20th Century. While the effects of nonnative afforestation on biodiversity remain under-studied, some species appear to thrive in such humanaltered habitats. A striking example of this is the Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), a bird known for its extreme beak morphology that is adaptive for feeding on spruce cones. Crossbills recently established in Iceland by colonising plantations of nonnative pines with cones that the species haven’t coevolved with. This makes a unique model to investigate the paradox of why and how some species adapt to novel environments even when such species are specialists of a narrow range of resources. I propose that this paradox can be addressed with a comprehensive approach bringing together ecology and developmental biology. With ARCTICADAPT, I will use this approach to elucidate the invasion of common crossbills in Iceland. First, I will study the adaptations associated with the colonising success of crossbill using modern morphometrics of beak shape, diet analyses and geographic modelling. Second, I will unravel the global origin of crossbills in Iceland using population genomics. Finally, I will uncover the developmental process behind the rapid evolution of such adaptations with a developmentally informed study combining functional genomics and morphometrics. The project will include an expedition to Iceland to sample DNA, morphology and behavioural data, and a Secondment at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology for protocol development and genetic analyses. ARCTICADAPT will launch my career project of a long-term study to establish Icelandic crossbills as a powerful model to investigate the developmental bases of rapid adaptations. Understanding how developmental properties determine the ability of species to cope with habitat change will be crucial to halt biodiversity loss worldwide.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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 genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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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.
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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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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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0313 Oslo
Norway
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