Project description
Exploring the genetics of Norwegian kelp forests
Kelp, a group of brown seaweeds that form large underwater forests along rocky coastlines, means big business in Norway. The country’s coast is long with perfect conditions for kelp farming but kelp forests are vulnerable to climate change, overharvesting and biofouling by epiphytes. The EU-funded NorKHelp project will fill research gaps. Based at Norway’s Institute of Marine Research, it will quantify the gene flow between populations of kelp forests of the Saccharina latissimi species. The community structure of epiphytic algae and bacteria will be described to determine if the host genotype or the environment determines their composition. The project will integrate community ecology and population genomics with an ecosystems approach to investigate the complexity of interactions.
Objective
Kelp forests are known globally as hotspots for macroscopic biodiversity. Norway has Europe’s largest population of kelp having a long tradition of exploiting wild populations of this natural resource. There is currently a lot of interest in the species, Saccharina latissima, to develop Norway’s kelp industry through large scale cultivation at sea. Kelp forests are however vulnerable to climate change, overharvesting and biofouling by epiphytes. Due to the importance of kelp to Norway’s bioeconomy, it is vital to fill current research gaps in relation to kelp forest ecosystems in order to use the resource sustainably. Bacterial and epiphytic algal communities have been shown to be important for the fitness of kelp hosts, with certain epiphytes improving fitness and others leading to a complete loss of biomass within populations. This study, that I will implement at the Institute of Marine Research (NO), will quantify the gene flow between populations of kelp forests of S. latissima. The community structure of epiphytic algae and bacteria will be described to determine if the host genotype or the environment determines their composition. Finally, the key taxa associated with environmental change that could be used as bioindicators to proactively monitor kelp populations and cultivation sites will be established. This interdisciplinary project integrates community ecology and population genomics with an ecosystems approach to investigate the complexity of interactions occurring between the different organisms in the kelp forest habitat. The personal goal of this fellowship is to gain in-depth training in the techniques required to study population genomics linked to microbiomes, which are increasingly being shown to play pivotal roles in the shaping and functioning of populations. The host is a leading institution for marine research and provides a unique training environment where academia works directly with the concerned industries and policy makers.
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 genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology phycology
- 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.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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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.
5817 Bergen
Norway
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.