Project description
Biodiversity conservation in the Himalayan mountains
The Himalayas are the Earth's highest mountain range and also a global biodiversity hotspot, yet there is limited knowledge about the origins of biodiversity patterns in this area. It is urgent to initiate such research as the region is under increasing pressure from human activity. Researchers of the EU-funded HIMALAYA project will analyse four plant lineages using macroevolutionary techniques. The data produced will then be presented in the context of a new (paleo)elevation profile for the Himalayan mountains. Integrating macroevolutionary data with species distribution models, HIMALAYA will further pinpoint areas with high speciation potential and assess the impact of climate change on these biodiversity hotspots. A deeper understanding of mountain uplift and plant evolutionary history will help biodiversity conservation planning.
Objective
The recent International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC-AR6) report warns that high mountains in Asia will witness a drastic rise in temperature, precipitation and reduced snow cover by the middle of the 21st century, which will seriously threaten its rich biodiversity. The Himalaya, the highest mountain chain on Earth and one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, spans two biodiversity hotspots that are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic activities. Despite the effects of a changing environment, the evolution of present-day biodiversity patterns remain poorly explored. Previous research has mainly focused on orogenesis and monsoons as key factors governing the assembly of regional diversity, while their relative roles on species diversification are less explored or studied separately. Few eco-evolutionary studies exist for Himalaya, and most of them are based on the inferences from time-calibrated phylogenetic trees of single taxa or simplistically link node ages to contested uplift phases.
This project aims to generate a new paleoelevation profile for the Himalayan mountains. For this, it will: i) Disentangle the relative roles of mountain uplift, temperature and precipitation through a macroevolutionary analysis of four selected plant lineages in conjunction with a newly developed paleoelevation reconstruction (by assessing fossil pollen assemblages and testing the chemical composition of selected taxa); ii) integrate macroevolution and uplift history with species distribution models to identify areas of high speciation; iii) assess the impact of future climate changes on these hotspots.
The cross-disciplinary approach (involving paleobotany, phylogeny, macroevolution, and species distribution modeling) is unique for the Himalaya region. The project will provide novel insights into understanding the pace of the Himalayan uplift and its influences on plant diversification, and conservation strategies to preserve its unique biodiversity.
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 biological morphology comparative morphology
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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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.
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
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