My application to the Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEEC 2018), was funded by FCT. Incredibly happy to be among one of the 300 funded positions, in a highly participated call with over 3500 applicants (8% funding rate)! After two years doing a postdoc at the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia, I get my ticket back to Portugal in 2020!
Feeding at latitudinal edges: Temperature modulation of nutrient acquisition in omnivorous ectotherms secures only personal funding, but the goal is to develop research at cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (University of Lisbon, Portugal) in collaboration with EBC - Evolutionary Biology Centre (Uppsala University, Sweden).
Abstract
Climate change produced a new surge of interest for the effects of temperature on ectotherms. This project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of temperature and nutrient interactions, investigating the mechanismsassociated with the temperature-induced dietary shifts recently identified in ectotherms. Studying Northern (56ºN) and Southern populations (38°N) of two freshwater species with a wide distribution range, the project is structured in three experimental tasks and one field task. These will address how temperature and diet C:N:P ratios interact to influence survival and life history traits (1), determine the extent to which temperature modulates nutrient intake via changes in feeding preferences and in nutrient assimilation efficiency (2), investigate how temperature and diet C:N:P ratios shape the community of gut microbiota (3), and study temperature effects on the trophic plasticity of ectotherms in natural food webs (4). With far-reaching implications for ecology, the project contributes to a better understanding of the ecological impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems, while supporting research on more sustainable systems of animal production.
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