Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

QUANTIFYING THE EXTENT FUNGAL MYCORRHIZAL COMMUNITIES AFFECT ORCHID NICHE BREADTH AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

Objective

Understanding the factors that underlie species distributions is a fundamental goal of ecology. With climate change there is increased importance to quantify how species distributions will change in a European context. Orchids are particularly sensitive to environmental conditions. Mycorrhizas are vitally important in determining the population occurrence of orchids, as orchid seeds rely entirely on fungi to provide nutrients in order to germinate and establish. While there have been major advances in the use of molecular tools in identifying mycorrhizal communities, no study has yet investigated how mycorrhizal communities influence the likelihood of population establishment over large geographical ranges. MYCRONICHE will bring together innovative approaches in pyrosequencing, ecological experiments, and species distribution modelling to quantify how environmental factors can lead to population adaptation. We plan to investigate three members of the orchid genus Spiranthes that are in decline in Europe. We will (i) model the distribution of Spiranthes species, (ii) perform reciprocal translocation experiments will be used in conjunction with control greenhouse experiments, and (iii) determine mycorrhizal limitation by experimentally adding seeds to habitats where the orchid species should occur. By training in novel molecular tools, the skill-set of the candidate will be advanced by participation in MYCRONICHE. There will be a dedicated training and transfer of knowledge program that will involve the researcher; (i) taking advanced courses in bioinformatics and (ii) teaching courses in spatial statistics at the host institution. By combining cutting-edge molecular tools, elegant experimental approaches, and innovative methods in spatial statistics and species distribution modelling, MYCRONICHE would go a long way to improve our understanding of how mutualistic interactions co-evolve in space and help understand how populations will respond to climate change.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

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.

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.

MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 160 800,00
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium

See on map

Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
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.

€ 160 800,00
My booklet 0 0