Initial Information Package THIS PROGRAM WILL START ONLY IF AND AFTER THE GRANT AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED WITH THE EU

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1 Frank P. Wesselingh 1,Yesim Büyükmeric Islamoğlu 2, Hülya Alҫiҫek 3, Mehmet Cihat Alҫiҫek 3, Vitaliy Anistratenko 4, Tamara Yanina 5 Drivers of Pontocaspian biodiversity Rise and Demise: a new Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) Frank Wesselingh, Suzanne Leroy, Rachel Flecker, Tom Wilke, Tamara Yanina, Wout Krijgsman, Marius Stoica, Luis Popa, Hülya Alҫiҫek, Vitaliy Anistratenko, Elmira Aliyeva, Matthias Prange, Joy Singarayer, Christian Albrecht, Arjan Gittenberger, Pavel Frolov, Hemmo Abels, Angela Bruch, Arjan de Leeuw, Cihat Alҫiҫek, Yesim Buyukmeric, Niels Raes, Alexey Tesakov Initial Information Package THIS PROGRAM WILL START ONLY IF AND AFTER THE GRANT AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED WITH THE EU

2 This is the Pontocaspian region scienceray.com Sciencemag.org and these are some of its unique biotas

3 The ugly face of the Pontocaspian biodiversity crisis: Caspian faunas 100 years ago and now

4 But the Pontocaspians have survived many biodiversity crises in the past 2 Ma... So, why is it now really bad? And can we assume a rebound of these beautiful biota?

5 Drivers of Pontocaspian biodiversity Rise and Demise (PRIDE) is an EU Initial Training Network (ITN) From 2015 until 2018 we will work with 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs, equivalent of PhD students) in 10 institutes to gain understanding of (1) how Pontocaspian lake systems developed, (2) how the Pontocaspian fauna evolved and dealt with past pertubations and (3) how bad the current biodiversity crisis is and what we can do about that. The programme will start after completion of the formal paperwork with the EU

6 Workpackage 1 Lake system evolution Climate model => P/E balance P/E balance => Lake model Geochemical and biotic proxy check and feedback to models Stratigraphic age constraints required

Age constraints Goal: Understand and identify drivers of

7 Workpackage 1 Lake system evolution 1. Climate modelling 2. Lake modellling 3. Biotic proxies 4. Geochemic proxies 5. Age constraints Goal: Understand and identify drivers of development of lake basins (and their biota) in the Quaternary

Workpackage 2 Quaternary turnover Understanding

establish resilience of the biota Critical

8 Workpackage 2 Quaternary turnover Understanding temporal and spatial context of Quaternary biodiversity change in the Pontocaspian will enable us to identify drivers of turnover and establish resilience of the biota Critical transitions in the Black Sea Basin record of Didacna (sensu Yanina & Svytoch)

9 Workpackage 2 Quaternary turnover Turnover and environmental change Critical transitions in field studies: Environmental change? Climate change? How did faunas respond? How did faunas rebound after disruption?

10 Satellite regions: source or sink?

11 Workpackage 2 Quaternary turnover 1. Quaternary environmental change 2. Drivers of mollusc turnover 3. Drivers of ostracod turnover 4. The role of sattelite regions 5. Molecular detection of past diversification centres Goals: Understand and identify drivers of development of Pontocaspian biota in the Quaternary

12 Black Sea Pontocaspians: under threat from habitat degradation, pollution and invasives Danube Delta (wikipedia) Rumaniainsider.org

13 Caspian Pontocaspians: Major extinctions as a result of immigrant species? 1954 Balanus improvisus 1939 Abra ovata/ Nereis diversicolor 1920 ties Mytilaster minimus (various sources)

14 Caspian Pontocaspians: Major extinctions as a result of immigrant species? Now: some 15 species? 100 years ago > 100 species

Workpackage 3 Anthropocene biodiversity crisis 1. Hidden planktonic biodiversity 2. Key anthropogenic drivers 3. A Pontocaspian Information system 4.

15 Workpackage 3 Anthropocene biodiversity crisis 1. Hidden planktonic biodiversity 2. Key anthropogenic drivers 3. A Pontocaspian Information system 4. Modelling biodiversity change: Then, now and the future 5. Conservation of Pontocaspian biota Goals: - Quantify relative impact of natural vs anthropogenic drivers - Understand mechanisms of turnover caused by specific anthropogenic drivers - Model from past to future - Reach out!

16 Network

17 Planning: By February 2015 we will have the website online with information at All information will be posted there Expect project descriptions end February 2015 March we intend to start the application procedure. For each project the two best applicants will be invited for interviews in Leiden on May We expect PhD students to start September The applications are open to any student from anywhere (with a MSc in August 2015 or within the 4 years before) (but you cannot apply in a position in the country where you have resided more then 12 months in the past 4 years)

18 Planning: We will be searching young researchers in the domains of climate science, hydrological sciences, stratigraphy, micropalaeontology, geochemistry, macropalaeontology, sedimentary geology, molecular biology, evolutionairy biology, biodiversity and conservation. The program is not restricted to the EU: students from anywhere, including the Pontocaspian region (Russia, Ukraine, Rumania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey) are warmly invited to apply. For updates: please check (from february onwards)

19 Dive with us into the Pontocaspian!

PRIDE-RCMNS. conference Ecosystem isolation and connection: rise and demise of biota in the Pontocaspian- Caucasian region

PRIDE-RCMNS. conference Ecosystem isolation and connection: rise and demise of biota in the Pontocaspian- Caucasian region PRIDE-RCMNS conference 2018 Ecosystem isolation and connection: rise and demise of biota in the Pontocaspian- Caucasian region Programme 26 29 August Georgian National Museum Tbilisi Contents Welcome to