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Individual Specialisation in Established Biological Invasions: importance and Ecological Impact

Objective

Differences between individuals are the substance on which natural selection acts; and individual variation has been identified in many ecological dimensions including diet, habitat use and other behavioural traits. It is therefore surprising that this variation is rarely considered within an invasion biology framework, particularly given the enormous biological and economic costs imposed by established invasive species – those introduced by humans that aggressively expand outside their native range. Little is known about how individual traits influence established invasions, to the extent that it has been argued that either bold, highly competitive individuals, or individuals that are cautious and less aggressive, may be successful. The impacts of different individual invader phenotypes as risks for native biota are also largely unknown, yet this knowledge is key for effective management. This project will, for the first time, determine: i) the extent, covariance and persistence of variation in multiple traits (dietary, behavioural and cognitive) in individual invasive rats simultaneously and in the wild; ii) the impact of the fundamental ecological processes of competition and predation on effective trait combinations i.e. individual phenotypes; iii) the consequences of different phenotypes for native biota. With invasion rates continuing to increase globally, this multidisciplinary approach draws upon cutting-edge techniques from behavioural ecology, comparative psychology, conservation and invasion biology. It provides novel empirical tests of theory, examining hypotheses untested in individual invaders or individuals of any species in natural contexts. The results will have important implications for theoretical understanding of natural selection, and will integrate individual and community processes in the study of invasive species. They will also be of major importance for applied conservation management actions addressing a key EU and global problem.

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.

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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)

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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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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-2016

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Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
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.

€ 263 943,00
Address
THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE
EX4 4QJ Exeter
United Kingdom

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Region
South West (England) Devon Devon CC
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.

€ 263 943,00

Partners (1)

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