Project description
A novel method of ecosystem monitoring
In recent years, climate change has been one of the biggest threats to life on Earth. It threatens the lives of humans and other animals, as well as plants. It also puts in danger many diverse and important ecosystems around the globe. Despite all the challenges, we do not yet have the tools to monitor the mechanisms and patterns causing imbalances to environments. The EU-funded EcoScan project will introduce a new method of monitoring to more closely observe the mechanisms changing the environments. This method will include the collection and study of bat guano for snapshot samples of the environment they inhabit. This will be followed by the use of novel ecological analyses to study the changes in the ecosystem.
Objective
Climate change is arguably the most pressing challenge facing all life on earth, threatening human health, ecosystem integrity and the survival of vulnerable species and habitats. Monitoring ecosystem health is critical for the early detection of imbalances but current approaches to do so measure the end-state, not the mechanisms driving patterns of change. Plants form the base of ecosystem functioning and accumulate increased viral- and fungal load in response to climate-related stress. These viruses are ingested along with plant matter by insect herbivores who similarly have microorganisms and may be eaten by a secondary consumer such as a bat. In the current proposal, we take advantage of this natural aggregation through trophic levels by collecting bat guano which contains a snap-shot sample of the environment. Directly sampling the individual taxa in multi-trophic assemblages would be unfeasible both financially and logistically. We will then use the latest in high-throughput sequencing protocols in metabarcoding and viral metagenomics to retrieve plant viruses and fungi, in addition to insect, fungi and bat DNA, viruses and fungi. Temporal sampling across climatic zones and habitats will ensure that complex and seasonal ecosystem processes are captured. We will use novel, sophisticated methods in ecological analyses to explore taxon diversity, abundance and associations, and how these change over time. By constructing weighted and multi-layer networks we will illuminate the processes affecting seasonal ecosystem health in relation to habitat and climate. As such we will be able to distinguish between localised phenomena and effects which cascade across layers. Our proposal will substantially increase knowledge of biodiverse but understudied groups (non-pathogenic fungi and viruses), shed light on ecosystem processes and how they respond to climate change, and ultimately provide proof of concept results for ‘aggregation’ as a means to survey ecosystem health.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic zones
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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-2019
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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.
75007 PARIS CEDEX 07
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.