BARREN · Bioenergetics in Arid Environments
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2015-08-01 → 2017-07-31
- EU contribution
- €200,195
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Bioenergetics in Arid Environments
Arid environments are habitats of energetic stringency because of extreme air temperatures and periods of decreased food and water abundance. Despite the harshness, these areas have high intra-specific diversity in birds. So, how can birds withstand water and food scarcity and dramatic temperature oscillations? Is energetic metabolism relevant in allowing them to adapt to local conditions, and hence promote intra-specific divergence? Although these questions have been intriguing physiologists for years, before BARREN no attempt had been made to combine microevolutionary and ecological physiology concepts. BARREN was a multidisciplinary project that integrated ecological properties of an arid environment with energy metabolism at the cellular and organism level, and variation at metabolism-related related genes (Figure1). The project focussed on a bird that occurs across an aridity gradient in the Southern Africa arid-zones. The knowledge obtained from this particular species is relevant for other species living in similar harsh environments because the relentless increased aridity is and will be challenging them.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Arid environments are habitats of energetic stringency because of extreme air temperatures and periods of decreased food and water abundance. Typically, birds confronted with these conditions reduce their energetic metabolism to be in balance with local resources. The ability to adjust energetic metabolism to face the harshness of arid habitats has been a significant question in ornithology and ecological physiology for decades. Recent evidence indicates the important role of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathway – OxPhos – in this process. However, an effort to combine microevolutionary and physiology concepts remains to be attempted. The current advances in avian genomics combined with my background in ornithology, ecology and evolution provide the best opportunity to study adaptation to arid environments. In BARREN, I propose to integrate ecological properties of an arid environment with variation at OxPhos-related genes, and energy metabolism at cellular and organismal level in a sophisticated systems approach that, to the best of my knowledge, has never been attempted. Through placement at Copenhagen’s Centre for GeoGenetics, I will have access to one of Europe’s leading research groups in avian genomics. A short secondment at the University of Angers will confer additional training in avian physiology. BARREN offers an exceptional opportunity for me to expand on my previous knowledge through implementing a multidimensional and cutting-edge approach centred on genome-level data, in order to advance our understanding of bioenergetics in arid habitats. This project is not only pivotal for basic evolutionary research, but is relevant for one of the key issues of Horizon2020: prepare excellent scientists to address one of the major societal concerns: Fighting and adapting to climate change.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET · KOBENHAVNCoordinatorDenmark
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union