Project description
Predicting species’ resilience to climate change
How resilient are land insects to climate change? How will ants, beetles and spiders, for instance, respond to increases in global temperatures? The EU-funded MATA project seeks to answer these questions. It will investigate the evolutionary pressures that may have shaped physiological traits to enhance thermal tolerance in land insects. The project will explore the mitochondrial adaptations associated with thermophily in insects, inside a consistent study system made of pairs of thermosensitive versus thermotolerant closely related ant species. The focus will be on the mitochondrial electron transfer system involved in respiration. By shedding light on insect thermal biology, MATA will further the study of ecophysiology.
Objective
Thermal tolerance is one of the most central traits that, in insects, correlate with distribution. With global temperatures projected to increase worldwide, much effort has been recently put into deciphering the physiological mechanisms constraining heat tolerance plasticity in ectotherms. However, we still know very little on how evolutionary pressures may have shaped physiological traits to enhance thermal tolerance in land insects. This is especially true in the case of mitochondrial functions, which have been repeatedly highlighted as central for ectotherms to survive exposition to non-optimal temperature regimes. Considering this central gap in our knowledge, we propose here to explore the mitochondrial adaptations associated with thermophily in insects, inside a consistent study system made of pairs of thermosensitive versus thermotolerant closely related ant species. Using this phylogenetic framework, we will (I) compare how temperatures affect specific steps along the mitochondrial Electron Transfer System (ETS) involved in respiration, (II) assess the impact of temperatures on mitochondrial ATP and ROS outputs, and (III) track adaptations in membrane composition and metabolic profiling associated with increased mitochondrial resilience to temperatures. Overall, this project thus proposes to explore important yet unanswered aspects of insect thermal biology that is located at the frontier of our current understanding of ecophysiology.
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 biochemistry metabolomes
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology entomology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
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.