Objective
The Orchidaceae is the most diverse family of angiosperms with an estimated number of over 24,000 species. It has long been believed that co-evolution with pollinating animals has played an instrumental role in the unparalleled diversification of the Orchidaceae. Many orchid species, however, are generalists with respect to their pollinators. Because the availability of a suitable mycorrhizal fungus is crucial to orchid establishment, it has recently been suggested that diversification might also have been driven by irregular fungal distributions, combined with high mycorrhizal specificities.
Evidence for this hypothesis is still lacking, and at present, very little is known about the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Most studies so far have reported high specificity and single-species associations. However, from an ecological point of view high specificity and single-species associations are puzzling and it is unclear whether the reported results might be biased by methodological issues.
The general aim of the proposed study is to reveal the potential role of mycorrhizal associations in orchid diversification. More specifically, I want to elucidate the nature and specificity of orchid-mycorrhizae associations, to investigate the availability of orchid mycorrhizae in natural populations and to study the role of mycorrhizal associations in acting as a post-mating reproductive barrier. To this end, I will apply, for the first time, multiplex assays that can detect several fungi simultaneously.
The study will be conducted across the whole distribution area of 21 species of the genus Orchis. I will test for mycorrhizal specificity and investigate evolutionary trajectories of orchid-mycorrhizae associations. Advanced spatial point pattern analyses combined with seed baiting techniques will be used to detect spatial variation in fungal availability in natural populations.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2010-StG_20091118
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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.
Host institution
3000 Leuven
Belgium
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.