Objective
The aim is to produce a complete evolutionary tree of tetrapods and use this to explore two core questions in macroevolution: the balance between innovation and external processes in driving the evolution of life; and, identifying the best model for morphological evolution. Biodiversity today is unbalanced, with a small number of highly successful groups, like birds and beetles, and many others of equal antiquity but with far fewer species. Why are those groups so successful – was it chance or do they have some remarkable adaptation(s)? The core of the project is to construct a complete evolutionary tree of all 30,000 living species of tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and add the 10,000 fossil species; this will generate a database of key characters, the homologies, shared by major groups. The probability of different drivers of diversification will be tested, focusing on those key, highly successful groups (e.g. lizards, birds, neornithines, passerines, rodents) that show explosive evolution to very high species diversity. The proposal goes to the roots of macroevolutionary understanding, and encompasses key questions about origins and modern biodiversity. The project is ambitious, but is possible because of advances in knowledge of relationships of all key tetrapod groups based on phylogenomic and morphological data, increasing precision of geological dating, and the availability of a range of computational methods to construct large phylogenetic trees, to assess likelihood of trees, to explore innovation and evolutionary rates and models, and Bayesian modelling techniques that can map trait data onto large trees and evaluate multiple models of drivers and bias. A unique outcome will be the chance to explore waiting time between major morphological changes, assessing distribution and magnitude, and use this information to inform the construction of a meaningful model of morphological evolution for computational phylogenetics.
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 computer and information sciences databases
- humanities history and archaeology history ancient history
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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-ADG - Advanced 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-2017-ADG
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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.
BS8 1QU BRISTOL
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.