Objective
Environmental change such as pollution, eutrophication and wetland loss is disrupting both the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, and the migratory patterns of waterfowl. Since transport by migratory waterfowl is the only significant factor of dispersal for key groups of aquatic organisms such as zooplankton and pondweeds, it is likely that bird migration will be an important factor determining the biodiversity of zooplankton and pondweeds. Models to predict the interactions between waterfowl migration and aquatic biodiversity must be developed to provide tools which can be used in the conservation and wetland management. An integrated, inter-disciplinary programme of field- and laboratory work is planned. The results will be of importance to researchers involved in modelling the biotic consequences of global climate change. They will also be of benefit to plant and bird conservationists, as well as people involved in wildfowl management at both a local and an international scale. There are four main objectives to the work:
First, to characterise the biodiversity of pondweed and zooplankton communities, in areas both inside and outside of the main European waterfowl migration routes, through the use of field surveys. The biodiversity will be related to environmental conditions and geographic location with respect to waterfowl migration routes.
Second, to determine the potential of waterfowl to act as carriers of pondweeds and zooplankton, between different catchments, using both feeding experiments and bird migration modelling.
Retention time and survivorship of pondweed and zooplankton propagules after waterfowl ingestion will be assessed for several species of birds, together with probabilities of external transport.
Probabilistic bird migration models will be developed from current migration data, but will incorporate stochasticity to model the effects of changes in migration route arising from, for example, land use change or climate change.
Third, to quantify the relationship between intra-specific genetic diversity in two model species of pondweed and zooplankton, and the inter-specific diversity of each community as a whole.
Molecular markers will be used in combination with morphometric techniques to characterise the community diversity, and polymorphic genetic markers to investigate the intra-specific diversity and gene flow.
Finally, to develop an integrated, spatially articulate modelling system to predict the long-term impact of changes in bird-migration patterns on the inter- and intraspecific biodiversity of wetland communities. These modelling tools will operate within a GIS framework, via a graphical user interface, and will be of use in the conservation and biodiversity management of wetland habitats.
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 zoology ornithology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography cartography geographic information systems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences hydrology limnology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications simulation software
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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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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.
Coordinator
NE1 7RU Newcastle - Upon Tyne
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.