Project description
Genomic mechanisms in organism evolution
Phenotype changes occur during the transition of some organisms from the surface to the subterranean environment. These include loss of eyes and skin pigmentation and increase of non-visual sensory organs. The olm (Proteus anguinus) is listed as a vulnerable species and represents a famous example of convergent evolution at this transition. The EU-funded GENEVOLCAV project will use the olm as a model organism to investigate and explain the genomic mechanisms involved in this transition. The project will reconstruct the number of independent transitions from the surface to caves across all olm lineages, generate a full chromosome-level assembly of the olm’s genome, detect the genetic and selective mechanisms, and reconstruct the demographic history of olm lineages.
Objective
Understanding the causes of major changes of form and function of organisms is one of the big goals of evolutionary biology. Dramatic phenotypic changes happen at the transition from the surface to a subterranean life. They involve the loss of eyes and skin pigmentation, and augmentation of non-visual sensory organs. In this project I will investigate the genetic mechanisms involved in this transition, using the olm (Proteus anguinus), the largest obligate cave inhabitant, as a model organism. The olm is famous for its peculiar appearance and as a European flagship species of conservation priority. Underscoring its importance, sir David Attenborough listed it as one of ten species he would take on his personal ark to save it from extinction. The olm represents a famous example of convergent evolution at the transition from surface to caves, as already noted by Charles Darwin in his 'On the origin of species'. My overarching goal is to elucidate the genomic mechanisms involved in this transition. The specific objectives of this project are to i) reconstruct the number of independent transitions from surface to caves across all olm lineages, ii) produce a full chromosome-level assembly of the olm's genome, iii) identify the genetic and selective mechanisms associated with this transition, and iv) reconstruct the demographic history of olm lineages. This research will be made possible by combining the expertise of world-leading institutions in cave biology (University of Ljubljana) and sequencing technology (BGI- Research). Using this expertise and knowledge, I will answer a long-lasting question about the evolutionary mechanisms that drive the loss of characters. In addition, my work will contribute to the largest genome assembled for any animal species. The identification of independent evolutionary lineages will help setting urgently needed international conservation priorities for olms.
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.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
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.