Objective
Global change is simultaneously the cause and the consequence of a dramatic biodiversity loss on Earth, with the subsequent degradation of ecosystem services. Understanding the major drivers of ecosystem services delivery is critical to develop sound management and conservation strategies to assure their sustained provision. This is particularly urgent in drylands; one of the most abundant, populated and vulnerable ecosystems in the face of the global change. In this context, functional diversity has emerged as a key concept in ecological research, since it links the range, variety and abundance of functional traits (i.e. attributes of an organism or group of organisms that reflect biological functions) to their effects on ecosystem processes, and thus, on ecosystem services delivery. Previous research on functional diversity has been mostly focused on vascular plants, while the contribution of soil lichens, mosses, and cyanobacteria forming “Biocrusts” has been understudied. However, Biocrusts may be the dominant life form in drylands, where they perform critical functional roles. Our hypothesis is that if we know how Biocrusts affects ecosystem processes, and we are able to model their distribution and abundance, we will have a more precise measure of the ecosystem functions they perform. Consequently, we will be able to quantify their contribution to ecosystem services in drylands. This knowledge will complement and improve the scope of management, conservation and restoration strategies, traditionally focused on species diversity, rather than functional diversity, and regarding vascular plants exclusively. BCSES will be developed in a top research centre –Centre of Environmental Biology (CBA), Portugal- which embraces highly scientific expertise in the field, and advanced research techniques and facilities crucial for the development of BCSES. This project will lean on fruitful collaborations in Europe –Spain, Italy- and internationally –Israel, Arizona-.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology ethnolichenology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call
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
1749 016 Lisboa
Portugal
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.