TERRAFORM | The evolution of land plant functional traits and how they terraformed Earth

Summary
TERRAFORM will mark a step-change in the investigation of biosphere impacts on the Earth system. It will integrate concepts and rich data sources from contemporary global trait ecology with novel simulated paleo-Earth weathering/decomposition experiments and high-resolution analyses of fossil plant paleotrait data to quantify the terrestrial biosphere’s impact on the carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles in deep-time. The focus on extensive fossil plant archives spanning three episodes of major environmental and biotic change [Pennsylvanian-Permian glacial interglacial cycles; the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction; Cretaceous OAEs] will yield insights on plant responses to and effect on other components of the Earth system. TERRAFORM will develop new paleo-trait proxies for fossil plants. TERRAFORM will improve the parameterization and performance of weathering and terrestrial ecosystem models. Ultimately, TERRAFORM will contribute to the discovery of how plants TERRAFORMed the Earth, how plant functional traits evolved over the past 300 million years and it will establish a new methodological framework to extract the full untapped potential data resources from fossil plants. TERRAFORM will increase literacy in Earth System Science among a non-traditional audience through an embedded artist-in-residence programme.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101020824
Start date: 01-10-2021
End date: 30-09-2027
Total budget - Public funding: 2 498 066,25 Euro - 2 498 066,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

TERRAFORM will mark a step-change in the investigation of biosphere impacts on the Earth system. It will integrate concepts and rich data sources from contemporary global trait ecology with novel simulated paleo-Earth weathering/decomposition experiments and high-resolution analyses of fossil plant paleotrait data to quantify the terrestrial biosphere’s impact on the carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles in deep-time. The focus on extensive fossil plant archives spanning three episodes of major environmental and biotic change [Pennsylvanian-Permian glacial interglacial cycles; the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction; Cretaceous OAEs] will yield insights on plant responses to and effect on other components of the Earth system. TERRAFORM will develop new paleo-trait proxies for fossil plants. TERRAFORM will improve the parameterization and performance of weathering and terrestrial ecosystem models. Ultimately, TERRAFORM will contribute to the discovery of how plants TERRAFORMed the Earth, how plant functional traits evolved over the past 300 million years and it will establish a new methodological framework to extract the full untapped potential data resources from fossil plants. TERRAFORM will increase literacy in Earth System Science among a non-traditional audience through an embedded artist-in-residence programme.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

ERC-2020-ADG

Update Date

27-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
ERC-2020
ERC-2020-ADG ERC ADVANCED GRANT