Find research datasets worth reusing

Raw data for: Plastic responses of males and females interact to determine mating behaviour

Individuals can respond plastically to variation in their social environment. However, each sex may respond to different cues and contrasting aspects of competition. Theory suggests that the plastic phenotype expressed by one sex can influence evolutionary dynamics in the other, and that plasticity simultaneously expressed by both sexes can exert sex-specific effects on fitness. However, data are needed to test this theory base. Here, we examined whether the simultaneous expression of adaptive plasticity by both sexes of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies in response to their respective social environments interacts to determine the value of key reproductive traits (mating latency, duration and fecundity). To vary social environments, males were kept alone, or with same sex rivals, and females were kept alone, in same-sex, or mixed-sex groups. Matings were then conducted between individuals from all of these 5 social treatments in all combinations, and the resulting reproductive traits measured in both 'choice' and 'no choice' assays. Mating latency was determined by an interaction between the plastic responses of both sexes to their social environments. Interestingly, the mating latency response occurred in opposing directions in the different assays. In females exposed to same-sex social treatments, mating latency was more rapid with rival treatment males in the choice assays, but slower with those same males in no choice assays. In contrast, mating duration was determined purely by responses of males to their social environments, and fecundity purely by responses of females. Collectively, the results show that plastic responses represent an important and novel facet of sexual interactions.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2022View details →

Data from: Unbiased analysis of cellular plasticity in the dorsal root ganglion after peripheral nerve injury

Sectional images of rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) 7 or 14 days after SNI or sham injury. Sections were immunostained for neurofilament (NF), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and glutamine synthetase (GS) and imaged using large-field (tile) microscopy. Images were segmented with a deep learning method (deepflash2). Provided are:  - 2-13 images per DRG from L4 or L5, ipsilateral (IL) or contralateral (CL)  - corresponding segmentation masks for NF, GS, and GFAP  - deep learning models for oval-shaped NF-positive structures and ring-like GS/GFAP-positive structures  - annotated data that the deep learning models were trained on

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Plastic mulch film residues in agriculture: impact on soil suppressiveness, plant growth, and microbial communities

Plastic mulch film residues have been accumulating in agricultural soils for decades, but so far, little is known about its consequences on soil microbial communities and functions. Here, we tested the effects of plastic residues of low-density polyethylene and biodegradable mulch films on soil suppressiveness and microbial community composition. We investigated how plastic residues in a Fusarium culmorum suppressive soil affect the level of disease suppressiveness, plant biomass, nutrient status, and microbial communities in rhizosphere using a controlled pot experiment. The addition of 1% plastic residues to the suppressive soil did not affect the level of suppression and the disease symptoms index. However, we did find that plant biomasses decreased, and that plant nutrient status changed in the presence of plastic residues. No significant changes in bacterial and fungal rhizosphere communities were observed. Nonetheless, bacterial and fungal communities closely attached to the plastisphere were very different from the rhizosphere communities with overrepresentation of potential plant pathogens. The plastisphere revealed a high abundance of specific bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria) and fungal genera (Rhizoctonia and Arthrobotrys). Our work revealed new insights and raises emerging questions for further studies on the impact of microplastics on the agroecosystems.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2021View details →

An integrative assessment of the plastic debris load in the Mediterranean Sea

An integrative assessment of the plastic debris load in the Mediterranean Sea Maria Luiza Pedrotti, Fabien Lombard, Alberto Baudena, François Galgani, Amanda Elineau, Stephanie Petit, Maryvonne Henry, Romain Troublé, Gilles Reverdin, Enrico Ser-Giacomi, Mikaël Kedzierski, Emmanuel Boss, Gabriel Gorsky This manuscript contains the results of the Tara Mediterranean Expedition, which sampled surface plastics throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The advanced imaging methods (ZoosCan) and data processing (Zooprocess) used allowed us to undertake an integrative study of surface plastic pollution, analyzing and classifying more than 75,000 plastic debris. We also provided estimates of regional differences in floating plastic loads and plastic characteristics. Notably, a new Lagrangian diagnostic predicting the concentration of plastic debris allowed us to link observed plastic concentrations to terrestrial plastic sources encountered by the water parcel carrying them. The dataset presented here is related to the publication M.L. Pedrotti et al. 2022, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155958">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155958</a>

Overyielding is accounted for partly by plasticity and dissimilarity of crop root traits in maize/legume intercropping systems

Positive biodiversity-productivity relationships have been found in biodiversity field experiments of grassland, forestry, and other natural terrestrial ecosystems, where diversity effects were separated by complementarity (CE) and selection effects (SE). However, we know little about how CE and SE are related to root traits and root dissimilarity. A four-year field experiment was carried out with a split-plot design, where main plot was four nitrogen (N) applications (N0, N1, N2, N3) and five cropping systems (maize (Zea mays L.)/soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill.), maize/peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropped and the corresponding monocultures) with three replicates. Roots were sampled in the N0 and N2 treatments in two years. Intercropping effects were analyzed based on grain yield for four years and roots were sampled down to 60 cm depth, and analyzed with morphological parameters at different crop growth stages in two years. Intercropping significantly increased grain yield and aboveground biomass in both intercropping systems under all N treatments. The partitioning of the net intercropping effects showed that yield advantage in intercropping was due to a positive CE under the N0 treatment, and to a positive SE with N application. Maize showed greater root morphological plasticity than the legumes did, with greater changes in root length density (RLD), root weight density (RWD) and total root surface (TS) in intercropping than in monoculture. Intercropped maize occupied a larger soil space, while lateral RLD distribution of legumes was decreased by maize. The RLD, RWD, and TS of intercropped maize were constant or increased in later growth stages. SE showed a significantly positive relationship with root dissimilarity. Principal component analysis showed mean root depth and specific root length of legumes drove the positive CE in the absence of N fertilization. Root dissimilarity determined by maize explained the selection effects in overyielding. Complementarity effects under N0 were closely associated with specific root traits such as mean root depth and specific root length. Linking changes of root traits with intercropping effects aboveground helps understand yield advantages in diverse agroecosystem. In general, a cereal species with strong phenotypic plasticity intercropped with a legume species with strong physiological plasticity can maximize the yield advantage of intercropping.

Two light sensors decode moonlight versus sunlight to adjust a plastic circadian/circalunidian clock to moon phase

Many species synchronize their physiology and behavior to specific hours. It is commonly assumed that sunlight acts as the main entrainment signal for ~24h clocks. However, the moon provides similarly regular time information. Consistently, a growing number of studies have reported correlations between diel behavior and lunidian cycles. Yet, mechanistic insight into the possible influences of the moon on ~24hr timers remains scarce. <div> <div> <div class="msocomtxt"> We have explored the marine bristleworm Platynereis dumerilii to investigate the role of moonlight in the timing of daily behavior. We uncover that moonlight, besides its role in monthly timing, also schedules the exact hour of nocturnal swarming onset to the nights' darkest times. Our work reveals that extended moonlight impacts on a plastic clock that exhibits <24h (moonlit) or >24h (no moon) periodicity. Abundance, light sensitivity, and genetic requirement indicate that the Platynereis light receptor molecule r-Opsin1 serves as a receptor that senses moonrise, whereas the cryptochrome protein L-Cry is required to discriminate the proper valence of nocturnal light as either moon- or sunlight. Comparative experiments in Drosophila suggest that cryptochrome's principal requirement for light valence interpretation is conserved. Its exact biochemical properties differ, however, between species with dissimilar timing ecology. Our work advances the molecular understanding of lunar impact on fundamental rhythmic processes, including those of marine mass spawners endangered by anthropogenic change. </div> </div> </div>

Environmental change and the rate of phenotypic plasticity

With rapid and less predictable environmental change emerging as the 'new norm', understanding how individuals tolerate environmental stress via plastic, often reversible changes to the phenotype (i.e. reversible phenotypic plasticity, RPP) remains a key issue in ecology. Here, we examine the potential for better understanding how organisms overcome environmental challenges within their own lifetimes by scrutinizing a somewhat overlooked aspect of RPP, namely the rate at which it can occur. Whilst recent advances in the field provide indication of the aspects of environmental change where RPP rates may be of particular ecological relevance, we observe that current theoretical models do not consider the evolutionary potential of the rate of RPP. Although, recent theory underscores the importance of environmental predictability in determining the slope of the evolved reaction norm for a given trait (i.e. how much plasticity can occur), a hitherto neglected possibility is that the rate of plasticity might be a more dynamic component of this relationship than previously assumed. If the rate of plasticity itself can evolve, as empirical evidence foreshadows rates of plasticity may have the potential to alter the level predictability in the environment as perceived by the organism and thus influence the slope of the evolved reaction norm. However, optimality in the rate of phenotypic plasticity, its evolutionary dynamics in different environments and influence of constraints imposed by associated costs remain unexplored and may represent fruitful avenues of exploration in future theoretical and empirical treatments of the topic. We conclude by reviewing published studies of RPP rates, providing suggestions for improving the measurement of RPP rates, both in terms of experimental design and in the statistical quantification of this component of plasticity.

Plasticity across levels: relating epigenomic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic responses to osmotic stress in a halotolerant microalga

Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a given genotype to produce alternative phenotypes in response to its environment of development, is an important mechanism for coping with variable environments. While the mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity are diverse, their relative contributions need to be investigated quantitatively to better understand the evolvability of plasticity across biological levels. This requires relating plastic responses of the epigenome, transcriptome, and organismal phenotype, and investigating how they vary with the genotype. Here we carried out this approach for responses to osmotic stress in Dunaliella salina, a green microalga that is a model organism for salinity tolerance. We compared two strains that show markedly different demographic responses to osmotic stress, and showed that these phenotypic responses involve strain- and environment-specific variation in gene expression levels, but a relative low - albeit significant - effect of strain × environment interaction. We also found an important genotype effect on the genome-wide methylation pattern, but little contribution from environmental conditions to the latter. However, we did detect a significant marginal effect of epigenetic variation on gene expression, beyond the influence of genetic differences on epigenetic state, and we showed that hypomethylated regions are correlated with higher gene expression. Our results indicate that epigenetic mechanisms are either not involved in the rapid plastic response to environmental change in this species, or involve only few changes in trans that are sufficient to trigger concerted changes in the expression of many genes, and phenotypic responses by multiple traits.

Earthworms increase the potential for enzymatic bio-activation of biochars made from co-pyrolyzing animal manures and plastic wastes

We assessed the enzymatic activation of four different biochars produced from pyrolyzing swine manure and poultry litter, and by co-pyrolyzing these livestock residues with agricultural spent mulch plastic film wastes (plastichars). Enzymatic activation consisted of incubating biochars in soil inoculated with earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris), which acted as biological vectors to facilitate retention of extracellular enzymes onto biochar surface. The activity of carboxylesterase ‒a pesticide-detoxifying enzyme‒ was measured in non-bioturbed soils (reference), linings of the burrows created by earthworms, casts (feces) and biochar particles recovered from the soil.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2022View details →

Trans- and Within-Generational Developmental Plasticity May Benefit the Prey but Not Its Predator during Heat Waves

Dataset of the results in the article: Trans- and Within-Generational Developmental Plasticity May Benefit the Prey but Not Its Predator during Heat Waves in Biology. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11081123 This research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Functional traits and their plasticity shift from tolerant to avoidant under extreme drought

Under climate change, extreme droughts will limit water availability for plants. However, the species-specific responses make it difficult to draw general conclusions. We hypothesized that changes in species' abundance in response to extreme drought can be best explained by a set of water economic traits under ambient conditions in combination with the ability to adjust these traits towards higher drought resistance. We conducted a four-year field experiment in temperate grasslands using rainout shelters with 30% and 50% rainfall reduction. We quantified the response as the change in species abundance between ambient conditions and the rainfall reduction. Abundance response to extreme drought was best explained by a combination of traits in ambient conditions and their functional adjustment, most likely reflecting plasticity. Smaller leaved species decreased less in abundance under drought. With increasing drought intensity, we observed a shift from drought tolerance, i.e. an increase leaf dry matter content, to avoidance, i.e. a less negative turgor loss point (TLP) in ambient conditions and a constancy in TLP under drought. We stress the importance of using a multidimensional approach of variation in multiple traits and the importance of considering a range of drought intensities to improve predictions of species' response to climate change.

Multivariate trait analysis reveals diatom plasticity constrained to a reduced set of biological axes

Trait-based approaches to phytoplankton ecology have gained traction in recent decades as phenotypic traits are incorporated into ecological and biogeochemical models. Here, we use high-throughput phenotyping to explore both intra- and interspecific constraints on trait combinations that are expressed in the cosmopolitan marine diatom genus Thalassiosira. We demonstrate that within Thalassiosira, phenotypic diversity cannot be predicted from genotypic diversity, and moreover, plasticity can create highly divergent phenotypes that are incongruent with taxonomic grouping. Significantly, multivariate phenotypes can be represented in reduced dimensional space using principal component analysis with 77.7% of the variance captured by two orthogonal axes, here termed a 'trait-scape'. Furthermore, this trait-scape can be recovered with a reduced set of traits. Plastic responses to the new environments expanded phenotypic trait values and the trait-scape, however, the overall pattern of response to the new environments was similar between strains and many trait correlations remained constant. These findings demonstrate that trait-scapes can be used to reveal common constraints on multi-trait plasticity in phytoplankton with divergent underlying phenotypes. Understanding how to integrate trait correlational constraints and trade-offs into theoretical frameworks like biogeochemical models will be critical to predict how microbial responses to environmental change will impact elemental cycling now and into the future.

Phenotypic plasticity and the leaf economics spectrum: plasticity is positively associated with specific leaf area

Phenotypic plasticity is a key mechanism by which plants respond to changing or heterogeneous conditions. Efforts to predict phenotypic plasticity across plant species have mainly focused on environmental variability or abiotic conditions, i.e., site characteristics. However, the considerable variation in phenotypic plasticity within sites calls for alternative approaches. Different functional groups are thought to differ in their plasticity levels. Further, traits such as leaf specific area (SLA), leaf area (LA) and maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax) reflect central aspects of plant strategies. Lower values of SLA, LA and Amax are indicative of a resource-conservative strategy, which is thought to be associated with lower phenotypic plasticity. We used meta-analytical data to test whether plant functional group (herbs, woody deciduous and woody evergreens) and SLA, LA and Amax are associated with phenotypic plasticity in four trait types: biomass allocation, plant size, leaf morphology and physiology. We obtained data from 168 plant species and accounted for phylogenetic relationships in all analyses. We found a positive relationship between SLA and phenotypic plasticity in biomass allocation, leaf morphology and physiology, with differences across functional groups. In contrast, there was no evidence of greater plasticity in plant size in species with higher SLA; rather the opposite was true for woody evergreens. Amax and LA showed similar, but less consistent associations with phenotypic plasticity. Our results show the potential of building predictive frameworks for phenotypic plasticity based on easily measured plant functional characteristics. Results also provide insights into plant strategies and suggest the existence of potential compromises: resource-conservative, low-SLA species tend to be more stress-tolerant but may be less able to cope with variable conditions due to their generally lower phenotypic plasticity. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms and the potential implications of this association.

Plasticity in female timing may explain earlier breeding in a North American songbird

Many species have shifted their breeding phenology in response to climate change. Identifying the magnitude of phenological shifts and whether climate-mediated selection drives these shifts is key for determining species' resilience to climate change. Birds are a strong model for studying phenological shifts due to numerous long-term research studies; however, generalities pertaining to drivers of phenological shifts will emerge only as we add study species that differ in life history and geography. We investigated 32 years of reproductive timing in a non-migratory population of dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). We predicted that plasticity in reproductive timing would allow females to breed earlier in warmer springs. We also predicted that selection would favour earlier breeding, and we asked whether temperatures throughout the breeding season would predict the strength of selection. To test these predictions, we examined temporal changes in the annual median date for reproductive onset (i.e., first egg date), and we used a sliding window analysis to identify monthly spring temperatures driving these patterns. Next, we explored plasticity in reproductive timing and asked whether selection favoured earlier breeding. Lastly, we used a sliding window analysis to identify the time during the breeding season that temperature was most associated with selection favouring earlier breeding. First egg dates occurred earlier over time and strongly covaried with April temperatures. Further, for individual females that bred in more than one year, they typically bred earlier in warmer Aprils, exhibiting plastic responses to April temperature. We also found significant overall selection favouring earlier breeding (i.e., higher relative fitness with earlier first egg dates) and variation in selection for earlier breeding over time. However, temperature across diverse climatic windows did not predict the strength of selection. Our findings provide further evidence for the role of phenotypic plasticity in shifting phenology in response to earlier springs. We provide evidence for the role of selection favouring earlier breeding, regardless of temperature, thus setting the stage for adaptive changes in female breeding phenology. We suggest for multi-brooded birds that advancing first egg dates likely increases the length of the breeding season, and therefore, reproductive success.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Evolution of sex allocation plasticity in a hermaphroditic flatworm genus

Sex allocation theory in simultaneous hermaphrodites predicts that optimal sex allocation is influenced by local sperm competition, which occurs when related sperm compete to fertilize a given set of eggs. Different factors, including the mating strategy and the ability to self-fertilize, are predicted to affect local sperm competition and hence the optimal SA. Moreover, since the local sperm competition experienced by an individual can vary temporally and spatially, this can favour the evolution of sex allocation plasticity. Here, using seven species of the free-living flatworm genus Macrostomum, we document interspecific variation in sex allocation, but neither their mating strategy nor their ability to self-fertilize significantly predicted sex allocation among these species. Since we also found interspecific variation in sex allocation plasticity, we further estimated standardized effect sizes for plasticity in response to i) the presence of mating partners (i.e. in isolation vs. with partners) and ii) the strength of local sperm competition (i.e. in small vs. large groups). We found that self-fertilization predicted sex allocation plasticity with respect to the presence of mating partners, with plasticity being lower for self-fertilizing species. Finally, we showed that interspecific variation in sex allocation is higher than intraspecific variation due to sex allocation plasticity. Our study suggests that both sex allocation and sex allocation plasticity are evolutionarily labile, with self-fertilization predicting the latter in Macrostomum.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

A sequential two-step priming scheme reproduces diversity in synaptic strength and short-term plasticity

Please consult the uploaded word file '<a href="https://zenodo.org/api/files/274d8784-bd00-47da-b7e7-7350c0aa3659/figure_4_public.docx">figure_4_public.docx</a>' for a description.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Phenotypic plasticity contributes more to the variations in nutrient resorption than genetic differentiation in a grassland dominant

1. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation are the two important processes determining the leaf nutrient resorption among and within plant species, which is critical for understanding the adaptability of plants. However, relative contributions of these two processes have never been quantified at a large geographical scale. 2. Here, we investigated intraspecific variations in nutrient resorption among 14 Stipa breviflora populations along a latitude gradient in 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, we sow seeds from these populations in two common gardens at different latitudes, and examined the variations in nutrient resorption. 3. Our results showed that nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency (NRE and PRE) among S. breviflora populations in nature were positively related to latitude, while this trend disappeared in the common gardens. The heritability of NRE and PRE was 11.45 % and 16.78 %, respectively. These results suggested that phenotypic plasticity contributed much more than genetic variation to nutrient resorption of S. breviflora. Moreover, the structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that latitude indirectly affected nutrient resorption mainly by altering soil nutrients. With the increasing of latitude, soil nutrients decreased while nutrient resorption increased. This suggested <a name="_Hlk78556987"></a>the main process regulating nutrient resorption is negative feedback to soil nutrient availability. 4. Our study provides new insights into the role of nutrient resorption in plant adaptations to geographic variations.

openother-openJul 2022View details →

Cutaneous Evaporative Water Loss in Lizards is Variable across Body Regions and Plastic in Response to Humidity

Data and code associated with the 2022 publication in Herpetologica (doi:10.1655/Herpetologica-D-21-00030.1).

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

Finite-strain Visco-elastic Visco-plastic model identification of PA12 material printed along different directions

The data provide the identification of PA12 bulk material for a finite-strain visco-elastic-visco-plastic (VE-VP) model printed along two directions. Tests were conducted in L. Cobian, M. Rueda-Ruiz, J.P. Fernandez-Blazquez, V. Martinez, F. Galvez, F. Karayagiz, T. Lück, J. Segurado, M.A. Monclus, Micromechanical characterization of the material response in a PA12-SLS fabricated lattice structure and its correlation with bulk behaviour, Polymer Testing 110 (2022) 107556: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107556">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107556</a> (in Open access), see also <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6136935">http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6136935</a> (in Open access) Material model follows V. D. Nguyen, F. Lani, T. Pardoen, X. Morelle, L. Noels, A large strain hyperelastic viscoelastic-viscoplastic-damage constitutive model based on a multi-mechanism non-local damage continuum for amorphous glassy polymers. International Journal of Solids and Structures 96 (2016): 192-216; <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2016.06.008">https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2016.06.008</a>, Open access:  <a href="https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/197898">https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/197898</a>. The model <ul> <li>Is implemented as a cross platform UMAT subroutine that is openly available on <a href="https://gitlab.uliege.be/moammm/moammmpublic/-/tree/master/code/MaterialModels/FiniteStrain/Finite_VEVP">https://gitlab.uliege.be/moammm/moammmpublic/-/tree/master/code/MaterialModels/FiniteStrain/Finite_VEVP</a> (Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a>).) and referenced on the project web-site <a href="https://www.moammm.eu/index.php/developed-code/">https://www.moammm.eu/index.php/developed-code/</a>.</li> <li>The model is also implemented at the cm3 laboratory, who provides efficient algorithms for homogenisation implemented in a parallel setting in the open source finite element code base on <a href="http://gmsh.info/">Gmsh</a>. In order to have access to the sources follows <a href="https://www.moammm.eu/index.php/developed-code/">https://www.moammm.eu/index.php/developed-code/</a>.</li> </ul> If you use these data or model, we would be grateful if you could cite the related papers: <ul> <li>L. Cobian, M. Rueda-Ruiz, J.P. Fernandez-Blazquez, V. Martinez, F. Galvez, F. Karayagiz, T. Lück, J. Segurado, M.A. Monclus, Micromechanical characterization of the material response in a PA12-SLS fabricated lattice structure and its correlation with bulk behaviour, Polymer Testing 110 (2022) 107556: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2022.107556 (in Open access)</li> <li>Data of “. Cobian, M. Rueda-Ruiz, J.P. Fernandez-Blazquez, V. Martinez, F. Galvez, F. Karayagiz, T. Lück, J. Segurado, M.A. Monclus, Micromechanical characterization of the material response in a PA12-SLS fabricated lattice structure and its correlation with bulk behaviour, Polymer Testing 110 (2022) 107556” http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6136935 (in Open access)</li> <li>V. D. Nguyen, F. Lani, T. Pardoen, X. Morelle, L. Noels, A large strain hyperelastic viscoelastic-viscoplastic-damage constitutive model based on a multi-mechanism non-local damage continuum for amorphous glassy polymers. International Journal of Solids and Structures 96 (2016): 192-216; https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2016.06.008, Open access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/197898</li> </ul> This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862015