Objective
Advances in genomics offer new opportunities for identifying loci that behave unusually against a background of neutral variation. Detecting divergent sites among related individuals and taxa can shed light on the process of adaptive divergence, from non-random mating to the establishment of reproductive barriers. Conversely, identifying convergent sites among unrelated taxa can offer insights into deeper level ecological radiations. This project will study genes underpinning evolutionary divergence at several stages. Discovering genome-wide ‘gene outliers’ presents enormous challenges. I argue these can be overcome by combining and applying phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses with deep sequencing to exceptional study systems. Among mammals, bats are unique in having independently evolved laryngeal echolocation and nectarivory, both implicated in their unparalleled adaptive radiation. We will (i) use a novel phylogenomic approach to identify genes under convergent and divergent selection associated with acoustic and dietary diversification. (ii) We will then discover additional loci implicated in diverging incipient sympatric taxa that have undergone recent dramatic call frequency shifts. (iii) We will identify genome-wide loci that show anomalous divergence and non-random combinations between faithfully breeding pairs of bats in a population where outbreeding increases fitness. These complementary studies will produce a database of candidate loci implicated in ecological divergence. We will then verify and synthesize our results by screening the genes in a taxonomically wider range of species. We hope to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relative numbers and importance of different types of loci in multiple stages of evolutionary divergence in a mammalian system. As such these results will significantly extend the current frontier of our knowledge about how new taxa form.
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 genetics
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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.
ERC-2012-StG_20111109
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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
E1 4NS London
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.