Project description
Unlocking the mysteries of evolving ecosystems
Predicting the responses of species, communities and ecosystems to global climate change remains a great ecological challenge. To address this, the NICH project, funded by the European Research Council, aims to unravel the impact of novel competitors on species’ responses to climate change in alpine plant communities. By combining cutting-edge experiments and ecological modelling, it will study the consequences of novel interactions on population persistence and evolutionary responses. The project will also explore the predictive power of species traits in determining the outcome of these interactions, and the implications for species’ range dynamics under climate change. NICH will make a significant contribution to our understanding of climate change impacts and our ability to predict the dynamics of complex ecological systems.
Objective
A great ecological challenges is predicting the responses of species, communities and ecosystems to global climate change. Progress will hinge on our ability to predict how responses are shaped by evolution and species interactions, and especially by entirely novel interactions among species whose ranges don't yet overlap. To tackle this goal, I will combine cutting-edge experiments and process-based modeling to address three questions about the impact of novel competitors on responses to climate change in alpine plant communities:
(1) How will novel interactions impact species responses to climate change? I will test the ecological consequences of novel competitors for population persistence, and the potential for longer-term evolutionary responses, using a whole community transplant experiment that simulates future competitive scenarios faced by focal alpine plants.
(2) Do species traits predict the outcome of novel interactions? A mechanistic understanding of competitive effects is essential to predict impacts of novel interactions. I will test how climate affects the outcome of competition among pairs of species planted along an elevation climate gradient, and whether these effects can be predicted using species’ functional traits.
(3) What are the implications of novel competitive interactions for species’ ranges dynamics under climate change? I will use process-based species distribution models, parameterized with experimental demographic data, to explore the consequences of changing competitive interactions for range dynamics under climate change.
This project will advance our understanding of species’ responses to climate change, and provide tools to apply to a diversity of other systems. It also tackles fundamental questions in ecology, shedding light on the mechanisms shaping species distributions. By linking experimental community ecology and biogeography, it will push the limits of our ability to predict the dynamics of complex ecological systems.
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 evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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.
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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2015-STG
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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.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.