Objective
Microbial biofilms that flourish within mucous sheets play decisive roles on the microspatial to the ecosystem scale. Coral surface mucus forms a dynamic boundary layer between the coral host epithelium and the surrounding seawater. Coral mucus sustains a diverse microbial assemblage and acts as a first barrier of defence against a wide range of environmental disturbances, thereby contributing to the health of the coral holobiont. Surprisingly, only little is known about the physical and chemical properties of this mucus layer, its dynamics of production and maintenance. Particularly, the relation between mucus layer dynamics and the diversity, abundance and function of its resident and visitor microbes remains largely enigmatic. The main goal of COSMIC is to understand the dynamics of composition, secretion and release of coral surface mucus and the related changes on the development, structure and potential function of its associated microbial community. COSMIC will apply a multidisciplinary approach that combines measurements of thickness, organic matter, carbohydrate and lipid composition of coral mucus, with molecular phylogenetic analysis, metagenomic profiling and quantification of major domains of the coral mucus microbiome. Overall, the proposed project will elucidate on key topics such as host and microbial specificity, microbial niche diversification, mucus selectivity, microbial succession and the role of microbes on biogeochemical cycles in corals and in the coral reef ecosystem. Such study on the dynamics of coral surface mucus layer and its associated microbial communities can contribute to understand and predict impacts on coral reefs arising from a rapidly changing climate. Moreover, the coral mucus biofilm can prove useful as a model to comprehend the dynamics of other microbial (defence) systems that thrive on mucous coatings. COSMIC will also provide information on new genes, pathways and adaptations present within the coral microbial realm.
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 microbiology microbiomes
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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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-2011-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
1010 WIEN
Austria
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.