Obiettivo Biodiversity is unevenly distributed in space and time, and biologists seek to explain the generalities and exceptions. North East India (NEI) is very rich in biodiversity. Previously this was thought to be because it is a gateway between the Himalaya and IndoBurma regions. These two latter regions are considered biodiversity conservation hotspots, with the boundary between them running through NEI.It was a major surprise therefore when the applicant discovered and named a new family of amphibians (Chikilidae) that is endemic to NEI, has been evolving here for 10s of millions of years, and has its closest living relatives in Africa. This newly discovered major lineage has demanded i) that the new family is thoroughly characterized and understood in the broader context of amphibian evolution, ii) that the generality of the historical biogeography of Chikilidae is tested using independent but broadly similar lineages, and iii) that the environmental and biological history of NEI is reassessed, especially the implications for recognising biogeographic units and demarcating hotspots.The applicant will address these issues by a) analysing the internal anatomy, life-history, distribution and genetic variation of Chikilidae in a comparative context, b) inferring the phylogeny and biogeographic history of two other soil-dwelling vertebrates with overlapping distributions – ichthyophiid amphibians and swamp eels, and c) determining to what extent the two lineages resemble Chikilidae in having radiated in NEI for a long period.The applicant is a world expert on NEI and Indian amphibians. The hosts run the world’s leading caecilian biology research group. The host institution has state-of-the-art facilities (specimen collections, genetics, morphological imaging labs) and several experts with overlapping expertise. The project will address questions of broad relevance in evolution and conservation, and build long-term collaborative links between Europe and India. Campo scientifico natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological morphologycomparative morphologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiodiversity conservationnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesphysical geography Programma(i) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Argomento(i) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF - Marie Curie Action: "International Incoming Fellowships" Invito a presentare proposte FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IIF Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento MC-IIF - International Incoming Fellowships (IIF) Coordinatore NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Contributo UE € 221 606,40 Indirizzo CROMWELL ROAD SW7 5BD London Regno Unito Mostra sulla mappa Regione London Inner London — West Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham Tipo di attività Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments) Contatto amministrativo Oliver Bacon (Mr.) Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato
