Objective
"Coral reefs are the world's most diverse marine ecosystems and their existence depends upon a functional intracellular symbiosis between dinoflagellates (single-celled algae) and their coral host. Stresses, such as elevated seawater temperature, cause the obligate symbiosis to break down, a phenomenon known as coral “bleaching”. Incidences of coral bleaching worldwide are on the rise, linked to global climate change. Most corals (phylum Cnidaria) first initiate symbiosis with dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) during larval stages. The molecular basis of coral symbiosis is not well understood, mainly because corals are difficult to work with and have slow generation times. I propose to use an emerging model system based on the small, experimentally tractable sea anemone Aiptasia (phylum Cnidaria) to analyze symbiosis establishment at the cellular and molecular level, including the ways in which symbiosis establishment is affected by environmental changes. First, I will establish a thorough cellular description of symbiosis establishment in Aiptasia larvae. Next, I will identify conserved genes involved in larval symbiosis in cnidarians and use molecular techniques to dissect their functions. Finally, I will establish gain-of function techniques (transgenesis) for Aiptasia using microinjection into early embryos to visualize membranes, nuclei and the cytoskeleton during symbiosis establishment using life imaging. Analysis of coral symbiosis at the cellular and molecular level will provide the missing link between existing genomic approaches and field population-level approaches and will help identify measures to protect coral symbiosis in the face of environmental change."
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 microbiology phycology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
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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-CIG
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.
MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)
Coordinator
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
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.