Project description
How bone tissue reflects precocial and altricial locomotor development
The evolutionary success of birds, the most diverse group of land vertebrates, largely lies in their ability to fly. Fossil finds throughout the ages have demonstrated that birds are paravian dinosaurs; the only representatives to survive the mass extinction marking the end of the Cretaceous Period. The EU-funded HISTOLOC project aims to explore for the first time how bone tissue reflects precocial and altricial locomotor development, including the ontogenetic onset of powered flight, by studying limb bone shafts of growth series of modern birds, and apply these findings to bird-like dinosaurs. Tests and surveys will be conducted to generate a step-change in understanding the ontogenetic factor in the evolution of flight in the dinosaur to bird transition.
Objective
The evolutionary success of the most diverse group of land vertebrates, birds, largely lies in their ability to fly. Spectacular fossils have demonstrated that birds are paravian dinosaurs; the only representatives to survive the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Extinct paravians close to the dinosaur–bird transition show diverse skeletal and plumage morphologies, suggesting substantial variability in aerial skills. However, locomotor skills (e.g. running, flying) and related morphologies can change drastically through ontogeny in modern birds depending on the developmental strategy followed along the precocial (functional maturity at hatching, including various degrees of locomotor capability) to altricial (functional immaturity with embryo-like hatchlings) spectrum. This ontogenetic aspect of flight remains elusive in extinct bird-like dinosaurs, greatly encumbering research on flight origins. We aim to explore for the first time how bone tissue reflects precocial and altricial locomotor development, including the ontogenetic onset of powered flight, by studying limb bone shafts of growth series of modern birds, and apply these findings to bird-like dinosaurs. We will test correlation in a phylogenetic context between quantified limb bone histological traits and different developmental strategies in birds using thin sections and µCT data. These will provide a firm baseline for fossil inferences using the same approach and will generate a step-change in understanding the ontogenetic factor in the evolution of flight through the dinosaur to bird transition. The experienced researcher and hosts will bring together and integrate respective expertise in biology and palaeontology to deliver this highly innovative, timely, and multidisciplinary project that will broaden our view on how birds have mastered the skies for the last 150 million years.
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 earth and related environmental sciences palaeontology
- natural sciences biological sciences histology
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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-2019
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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.
B15 2TT Birmingham
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.