Objective
The overall objective of SPHERE is to explore the role of spatial heterogeneity of resources as a mediator of large herbivore population stability in African savannas. Recent studies predict that the increased variability in rainfall that is predicted under local climate change scenarios and the resulting temporal variability in resource availability will lead to severe declines in African herbivore populations. However, new theory predicts that spatial heterogeneity of resources can act as a buffer against such temporal heterogeneity. Up to now this theory awaits empirical testing. African savanna grasslands are an ideal system to test this theory, with characteristic grazing lawns as a clearly visible aspect of spatial resource heterogeneity. Several grazer species concentrate foraging in these lawns but it is unclear how lawn abundance and spatial distribution affects grazer population dynamics on a larger scale. SPHERE will use this system to investigate the hypothesized effect of resource heterogeneity on population stability. Moreover, SPHERE will advance current theory by including inter-specific differences, specifically body mass and digestive physiology. Both strongly influence herbivore resource requirement. Finally, it will link population-level responses to demographic processes by testing how resource heterogeneity affects survival of different age-classes. To this end SPHERE will quantify lawn distribution in two South-African reserves and relate it to spatially explicit demographic and long-term census data of six herbivore species that differ in body mass and digestive system. The fellow will be based at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo. CEES will provide the candidate with excellent training opportunities in population biology, ungulate ecology and advanced statistics. In addition, the complementary skills of European collaborators will further ensure the feasibility and high quality of the fellowship.
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
- social sciences sociology demography census
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
0313 Oslo
Norway
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.