Project description
Dissecting the evolution of fleshy fruits
There is an amazing diversity of fruits available to us today. This wide variety is the result of selective pressures from different factors, such as the environment or inherited genes. To determine their relative contribution to fruit evolution, integrative analysis is key. The EU-funded FRUITFUL project will use such an approach to study the evolution of fleshy fruits in the olive family. They will identify independent transitions to fleshy fruit, analysing representative genes in fruit species, determining the olive’s geographical distribution and integrating all results in causal models. The project’s approach will provide a better understanding of the patterns of major evolutionary change.
Objective
A trip to a grocery store exposes us to an outstanding diversity of fruits. While this variety was influenced by human selection during plant domestication, it mainly reflects strategies of seed dispersal that evolved over millions of years. Despite the huge variation in fruit color, shape, and size, common patterns can still be identified, especially the repeated evolution of fleshy fruits (e.g. olives, apples, tomatoes). Though this pattern is well observed, we are still exploring the role of different factors and their selective pressures. These can be intrinsic, as evolution of inherited genes determining fruit traits, or extrinsic, as the environment. To date, studies have focused on one or two major factors at a time, but their relative contributions requires an integrative analysis.
FRUITFUL will dissect the evolution of fleshy fruits in the olive family. Oleaceae is the ideal study subject here because it presents a natural comparative set-up for fruit evolution: multiple lineages that independently evolved fleshy fruits; species living in a variety of environments; and diverse seed dispersers. Further, several genomes and transcriptomes of Oleaceae were recently released.
In this project, I will: (1) identify independent transitions to fleshy fruit within a comprehensive phylogenetic framework of Oleaceae; (2) use phylogenomic approaches to analyze representative genes in species with fleshy or dry fruits, and test for switches in selective pressures in relation to trait transitions; (3) estimate the historical biogeography of the family, along with current environmental preferences of species, and their seed dispersers; and finally, (4) integrate all results in models of causal relationships, and identify direct and indirect effects, and their magnitudes, among variables and fruit type. FRUITFUL’s interdisciplinary research and novel integrative approach will provide new insights into understanding the patterns observed at a macroevolutionary scale.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering colors
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture fruit growing
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA transcriptomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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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.
31062 Toulouse Cedex 9
France
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.