The role of megafauna in biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gas fluxes: implications for climate and ecosystems throughout history

Project description

Taking a closer look at megafauna–ecosystem interactions

As big animals, megafauna have a big impact on ecosystem functioning and climate. Through consumption and excretion of biomass, megafauna accelerate nutrient cycling, increase plant productivity and influence soil greenhouse gas fluxes. Megafauna also emit methane when digesting plants through fermentation. The EU-funded MegaBiCycle project will study this through megafauna-ecosystem interactions in a dynamic global vegetation model. Specifically, it will test hypotheses on the effect of past and present changes in megafauna populations. The research will boost our understanding of the connection between climate, biosphere and megafauna. The findings will be useful for policy and conservation.

Fields of science

• social sciences › economics and business › economics › production economics › productivity
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › atmospheric sciences › meteorology › biosphera
• natural sciences › earth and related environmental sciences › palaeontology › paleoecology
• natural sciences › biological sciences › ecology › ecosystems
• natural sciences › chemical sciences › organic chemistry › aliphatic compounds

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme
• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Topic(s)

• MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Coordinator

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES

Net EU contribution

€ 184 707,84

Address

Rue Leblanc 25
75015 Paris 15
France

Region

Ile-de-France › Ile-de-France › Paris

Activity type

Research Organisations

Links

Other funding

€ 0,00