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Elucidating the MARine DIversity GRAdient with empirical and theoretical models

Project description

New tools to help anticipate climate change effects on the Earth’s oceans

Physical and chemical modifications driven by climate change are being observed in Earth’s marine systems. While scientists are studying the geographic distributions of marine biodiversity patterns and the processes that generate them, anticipating and mitigating climate change effects on the Earth’s oceans remain major challenges. The EU-funded MARDIGRA project will work to make this easier. It will develop an analytical procedure for estimating baseline marine diversity patterns and inferring the broad-scale processes that generated those patterns. The project’s aim is to clearly link theory-predicted expectations of marine biodiversity and observed empirical patterns. By improving our understanding of the processes that shape marine macroecology and biogeography, the project will make it easier to anticipate the potential effects of climate change on future diversity.

Objective

As the Earth warms, the oceans are predicted to undergo dramatic physical and chemical changes. However, uncertainty persists regarding the geograpic distributions of marine biodiversity patterns and the processes that generate them. Basic measures of biodiversity are often used as a proxy for ecosystem health, and without understanding what marine biodiversity patterns are and how they have been generated in the past, anticipating and mitigating climate change effects on our oceans will remain an impossible task. To date, study of terrestrial systems has dominated macroecological and biogeographic research. The proposed project will establish analytical procedure for estimating baseline marine diversity patterns and inferring the broad-scale processes that generated those patterns, adapted to the unique properties of marine systems. The specific objectives of the project are: 1) Obtain empirical estimates biodiversity patterns for three orders of marine fish, 2) Generate a process-based model of the mechanisms leading to marine diversity patterns, and 3) Compare empirical diversity estimates and process-based models to identify where theory is unable to predict reality. This work will strengthen the link between the theory-predicted expectations of marine biodiversity and observed empirical patterns, improving our understanding of the unique processes that shape marine macroecology and biogeography. This, in turn, will aid in anticipating the potential effects of climate change on future diversity, and lead to more robust preservation and mitigation strategies.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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-2019

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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.

€ 207 312,00
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.

€ 207 312,00
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