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Content archived on 2024-06-18

"Speciation and adaptive radiation in a Neotropical cichlid fish species complex: resolution of a systematic, ecological and evolutionary puzzle"

Objective

"Cichlid fish are among the most spectacular examples of rapid speciation and adaptive radiation, which makes them an excellent model system for the study of mechanisms of speciation and evolution. The hotspots of cichlid diversity are the large East African lakes, which contain hundreds of endemic species. Neotropical cichlids are less species rich, but often offer better and simpler scenarios to study very recent speciation events. A good model system of a small scale and extremely recent radiation are cichlids from the Cuatro Cienegas valley, in the Chihuahuan desert in Mexico. Fish so far assigned to the species Herichthys minckleyi have evolved during the last few thousand years and have developed an array of trophic and body shape morphologies in parallel in several isolated ponds. This has raised the hypothesis that in fact several recently formed species might be coexisting in these ponds. However, lack of concerted genetic studies mean this species complex remains an unsolved evolutionary mystery. I plan to study the reproductive isolation of the incipient species using a comprehensive approach combining morphological and ecological characterization of the different species both in the laboratory and in captivity, and molecular markers distributed across the entire genome (SNP markers obtained using the most recent parallel sequencing technologies). I aim to understand the geographic setting and the mechanisms driving speciation, and the extent of parallel evolution causing similar eco-morphological outcomes in independent settings."

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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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.

Call for proposal

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FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IEF
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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.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
EU contribution
€ 166 565,60
Address
CALLE SERRANO 117
28006 MADRID
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

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.

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