Project description DEENESFRITPL Integrating Andean and Amazonian vegetation-monitoring schemes In terms of carbon storage, biodiversity and climate regulation, the Andes and the Amazon are among the most important ecosystems on Earth. Like other tropical forests, they too are affected by rising temperatures and droughts threatening plant species with extinction. To date, the Andes and the Amazon have been studied separately in terms of climate change, despite being adjacent and having similar ecosystems. The EU-funded RESCATA project will integrate the world’s most advanced networks of Andean and Amazonian vegetation-monitoring schemes and carry out innovative species-level analyses. RESCATA will identify the reasons behind plant species' survival or extinction under climate change in the two regions, as well as consider current and future macroecological effects. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Tropical forests face an extinction crisis. Increasing temperatures and drought events jeopardize the survival of thousands of plant species, and the response of tropical forests and their species to climate change is one of the most pressing current questions in Ecology. The Andes and the Amazon are among the most important ecosystems on Earth in terms of carbon storage, biodiversity, and climate regulation. However, despite being adjacent and contiguous ecosystems, they have been studied as distinct entities and thus, our knowledge on regional ecosystem processes and species-level distribution and dynamics is truncated, limiting our ability to understand the effects of climate change in these forests. In RESCATA, I will combine ¬– for the first time– the world’s largest networks of Andean and Amazonian vegetation monitoring plots (RAINFOR and sANDES) and perform innovative species-level analyses. The goal is to identify the drivers behind plant species survival or extinction under climate change conditions in the Amazon-Andes region and to reveal ongoing and future macroecological changes in these forests. We will test the role of initial species abundance, distribution range, functional traits, and phylogeny on species success or failure. In addition, we will pioneer the standardization of Andean and Amazonian data in order to increase usage, collaboration and accuracy. Fadrique will work alongside world-leading researchers Prof. Phillips and Prof. Cayuela in order to gain macroecological knowledge, alongside new skills in big-data analysis and individual-based modelling as well as multidisciplinary connections to establish herself as a leading climate-change scientist in Europe. The results of this project will be of high interest far beyond the scientific community including government entities, policy makers, conservation agencies and the general public and I will engage them via different activities such as publications, policy reports, webinars and workshops Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological morphologycomparative morphologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes Keywords Plant species Tropical forests Species success Carbon storage Functional traits Biodiversity Extinction Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS Net EU contribution € 212 933,76 Address WOODHOUSE LANE LS2 9JT Leeds United Kingdom See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire Leeds Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 212 933,76