Objective "Bacterial communities dominate the living biomass on Earth and contribute significantly to all global cycles of matter and energy. However, due to the high genetic heterogeneity of the ecosystems and their richness in diverse microbial species, our knowledge of bacterial communities remains limited. Therefore, in order to understand any bacterial community's ecology and predict how these communities and their respective ecosystems will respond to environmental changes, we need (i) to identify the different ecologically distinct microbial populations (or ""clusters"") that compose it, and (ii) to determine the interactions between clusters, and how they evolve. To address these challenging goals, this study will use the model system of Microcystis, the cyanobacterium that is mainly responsible for toxic algal bloom in lakes worldwide. The goal of this project is to (i) determine how (and if) Microcystis is specialized into different ecologically and genetically distinct clusters, (ii) to track how the Microcystis populations (or clusters) respond to environmental changes (pH, temperature, pollution from fertilizer runoff) and biological factors (viruses that prey on bacteria). This will allow us to understand how Microcystis populations change and adapt over time, helping us to predict and prevent harmful blooms. Using a unique multidisciplinary approach mixing ecology and evolution, and combining observations from natural time-courses in lakes, in situ experiments in microcosms within lakes, and in vitro experiments, this project will provide an unprecedented understanding of how changing regimes of natural selection, imposed by environmental and biological factors, shape microbial communities on the scales of populations, genomes and genes. This project will provide major advances in bloom understanding, in prediction by the identification new genetic biomarkers and in prevention by defining the conditions under which phage therapy might be a practical strategy." Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsfreshwater ecosystemsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2014-GF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-GF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER Net EU contribution € 255 349,80 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter United Kingdom See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 255 349,80 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL Canada Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address CP 6128 Station Centre Ville H3C3J7 Montreal See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 157 622,40