Project description
Mapping sea urchin futures
Sea urchins play an important role in shaping marine ecosystems. However, little is known about their ecological traits and vulnerability to climate change. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SpinyTESTs project is developing SpinyBase, the world’s first comprehensive database of echinoid traits and global distributions. Drawing on natural history collections, it will compile data on sea urchin biological traits, reproductive strategies, and geographic ranges. The project will deliver the first global analysis of trait biogeography and phylogenetic patterns in sea urchins, as well as pioneering climate vulnerability models that combine ecological modelling with AI. Overall, it will improve understanding of how these ecologically important species respond to environmental change.
Objective
Sea urchins are ecological engineers affecting marine systems globally from the equator to the poles and shallow to deep water. Despite the profound impact they have on many ecosystems, fundamental knowledge of biological traits, distributions and climate change vulnerability is unknown for many sea urchin taxa. This Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) project will unlock the full potential of natural history collections to address critical knowledge gaps in sea urchin biodiversity and climate vulnerability. I will achieve this by developing the world’s first comprehensive trait and distribution database for echinoids, SpinyBase. SpinyBase will enable me to deliver: (1) the first global study of trait biogeography and phylogenetic patterns in sea urchins, and (2) the first study of marine invertebrates to combine climate vulnerability modelling with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted approaches. Building on my expertise in echinoid distributions, biological and reproductive traits and ecological modelling, with the strong institutional support and training from the Natural History Museum (NHM), I am well positioned to overcome current data deficiencies. Outcomes from SpinyTESTs will significantly advance biogeographic understanding and climate vulnerability predictions for these keystone marine species.
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.
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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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom
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.