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Climate change could lead to dramatic shifts in dryland ecosystems
14-02-2020 | @Juan José Gaitán, INTA (Argentina) - Dryland ecosystem in the Argentinean Patagonia
A study published in Science by ERC grantee Dr Fernando T. Maestre shows how increases in aridity such as those forecasted under climate change lead to abrupt shifts in dryland ecosystems worldwide, limiting their capacity to sustain life and provide essential ecosystem services to more than 2 billion people.
New app tells farmers how much fertiliser their crops need
27-11-2019 | © Saverio blasi, Shutterstock
Being unable to accurately gage the nutritional needs of crops can result in over-fertilisation; polluting soil, air and water. LiveSEN has developed a real-time, portable biosensor that measures nitrogen levels and, with Big Data-driven recommendations, benefits farmers.
How do you make plants drought-resistant without stunting growth?
25-09-2019 | © picture
Stressed plants typically stop growing. With her ERC grant, Prof. Ana Caño-Delgado has developed and is applying an innovative approach to generate drought-resistant plants that continue growing. This could play an important role in ensuring food security when water is scarce.
Wake-up call for soil microbes
24-06-2019 | © picture
Our soils are inhabited by millions of microorganisms; however, the majority of them lay dormant. In her ERC project, Prof. Dagmar Woebken explores the mechanisms that allow soil microorganisms to go into dormancy and thus survive unfavorable conditions. It is further the goal to reveal the environmental signals that lead to their resuscitation to perform important ecosystems functions.
Biomass crops are energy efficient and climate friendly
17-06-2019 | Research illustration ©iStockphoto.com/ClubhouseArts | Portrait ©Melanie Verlinden/Reinhart Ceulemans
EU-funded researchers planted, harvested, processed and analysed the life cycle of woody crops to establish how efficient and environmentally friendly they are as a source of fuel for electricity and heat.
2018 Research highlights
12-03-2019 | © picture
By the end of 2018, the ERC had funded over 9,000 projects. More than 9,000 incredible stories, all worth telling. Here we showcase some highlights from the last year:
Fighting harmful insects in an eco-friendly way
08-07-2018 | © picture
Malaria, Zika virus, dengue, sleeping sickness… some people get goose bumps just hearing these names. Dr. Jérémy Bouyer certainly isn’t one of them. He received funding from the ERC to look for environmentally-friendly techniques...
Bottom up climate change research
08-03-2018 | © C. Maitre INRA
The increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere as a result of human activity is impacting the natural carbon cycle, modifying how the element travels between land and atmosphere. How will our future climate impact this exchange? How will ever-growing concentrations of greenhouse gases influence future biosphere CO2 fluxes? The answer may lie at our feet; in the soil beneath us.
Bacteria under your feet
18-01-2018 | © picture
Over 500 dominant species identified in the first global atlas of world soil bacteria In cooperation with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos – URJC An international team of researchers, including ERC grantee Fernando T. Maestre from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), pieced together a global atlas of soil bacteria. The study, published today in Science, identifies some five hundred species of dominant bacteria living in soils worldwide. The findings, based on EU-funded research, could open new paths to improve soil fertility and increase agricultural production.
What’s under the sea?
19-10-2017 | © Aaron Micallef, MARCAN project 2017; © Jurgen Spiteri
Ever since observing a map of a marine landslide as a young geology student, Dr Aaron Micallef was hooked on the beauty of the sea floor. Now, he works on understanding the forces that shape the Earth’s landscapes, both above ground and below the sea level. His MARCAN project studies the impacts of groundwater on canyon formation in Malta and New Zealand. This investigation may reveal where we will be getting our drinking water in the future.