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SYMbiosis, Microbiota and immUNITY

Objective

Symbiosis and sociality define the evolutionary success of life, but the large-scale synergy between hosts and microbiotas is poorly understood. New phylosymbiotic approaches aim to understand how and why hosts have evolved in association with microbiota that track and shape host ecologies. At present it is virtually unknown whether and where clear phylosymbiotic signatures of coevolution exist. In principle, microbiota can either track the phylogenetic diversification or the biogeography of hosts. The former would imply that phylosymbiotic trees are largely homologous, while the latter would induce convergent evolution and be more informative about habitat-specific adaptations. Social insects are interesting targets for phylosymbiotic analysis because microbiomes combine functions of nutrient supplementation, individual immunity and colony-level immunity. This applies most explicitly to the ants, which have huge species diversity (>14,000 species), massive ecological footprints (dominant in biomass in most terrestrial ecosystems), and high diversity in life styles (e.g. predatory, omnivory, herbivory, aphid husbandry, fungus farming). The ants also have a unique variety of glands to produce antibacterial compounds that may interact with microbiota, and some lineages have domesticated antibiotics-producing bacteria. I propose to assemble and analyze metagenomic data for 50 ant species (covering 15 subfamilies) exploiting a grand sampling initiative by the Global Ant Genomics Alliance (GAGA, antgenomics.dk) to understand: 1) The evolutionary and functional dynamics of homologous or analogous microbiota across the family Formicidae (ants), and 2) the functional adaptations that have shaped immune defenses across the ant subfamilies and genera.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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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.

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-ST - Standard EF

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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-2017

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Coordinator

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
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.

€ 212 194,80
Address
NORREGADE 10
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark

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Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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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.

€ 212 194,80
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