Objective
Ongoing climate change is resulting in an unprecedented rate and direction of species range shifts. Despite the urgent need to understand controls on and consequences of range shifts, little empirical work has been done. Glacier-fed streams provide an ideal ecological observatory for monitoring the dynamics of the leading edges of shifting ranges as glaciers rapidly recede and make available new stream habitat. The main objective of the proposed research is to use a novel blend of evolutionary and ecological tools to evaluate key influences on the shifting locations of range margins in glacier-fed streams. A secondary objective is to infer the outcome of upward range shifts on regional-scale patterns of stream biodiversity. The project comprises 4 main tasks. First, we select a glacial region (from a list of many of high potential) to accomplish a statistically robust study design for evaluating range margin vs. long-term stable locations. We do this for three target species – an insect primary and secondary consumer and a salmonid top predator – each with evidence of upward-shifting range margins. Second, we evaluate using molecular markers the recent demographic history of the primary consumer at range margin vs. long-term stable sites. Third, we analyse carbon stable-isotope ratios of each of the three target species to understand degree of feeding opportunism at the margin vs. stable sites. Fourth, we use species and genetic diversity estimates to test an existing hypothesis that upward-shifting ranges cause decreasing regional-scale (beta) diversity in higher-altitude streams. We hypothesize that limiting conditions present at the margins will yield a signal of demographic instability (bottleneck/founder events) and opportunistic feeding. The combination of methods in the study will provide a synthetic understanding of range margin dynamics and will stimulate research ideas in other ecosystems.
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.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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-2009-IIF
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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
B15 2TT Birmingham
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.