The goal of this project is to assess the contribution of dissolved globular clusters to the stellar mass budget of the various Galactic components (halo, disk, bulge/bar) and compare the results with the predictions of state of the art numerical simulations, in order to constrain the history of formation and mass assembly of the Milky Way Galaxy. In order to identify tracers of globular cluster dissolution in the field of the Galaxy, we will perform chemical tagging based on the the huge sample from the the SDSS/APOGEE survey. The observational data will be compared with state of the art numerical simulations from the E-MOSAICS project.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) are one of world's most endangered primates. Their numbers are declining e due to habitat loss, and in 2023, Morocco (the country in which most Barbary macaques are found) experienced a series of natural disasters that has drastically reduced the ecological range of these monkeys. There is an urgent need to fully understand the conservation implications of these disasters. Therefore, we propose to (i) quantify Barbary macaque numbers in key national parks within Morocco, and (ii) determine the health status and viability of these populations. This is information is urgently needed for a report for L'Agence National des Eaux et Forets (ANEF) and related bodies within the Moroccan government to highlight the threats and potential resilience. As of 11th October, Morocco's ANEF reported 395 forest fires since January, destroying 6,420 hectares of forest2. This follows an even more devastating period of forest fires in 2022 during which 22,800 hectare of forest was lost. Climate change saw Morocco record the highest ever summer temperatures (50.4 C) in 2023, which increased the numbers of naturally occurring fires, on top of forest fires that may be attributable to human action. In addition, on 8th September 2023, a massive earthquake struck the Marrakesh-Safi region, which includes the Toubkal National Park, inhabited by one of the more isolated Barbary macaque populations within Morocco. The International Union for Conservation recently upgraded the threat status of Barbary macaques following decades of decline. The chief threat to Barbary macaques is habitat loss and fragmentation, which has led to many Barbary macaque populations across Morocco and Algeria becoming isolated with concerns about genetic diversity and long-term population sustainability. These issues have been exacerbated by recent forest fires and earthquake. The research team (details below) are contributing to Morocco's "National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Barbary Macaque in Morocco", with the government seeing the proposed project is an urgent research priority. We request funding for a 6-month study involving three months of field work and three months of analysis to hire a research assistant, Moroccan field assistants, and to purchase the field and laboratory equipment to deliver two key project objectives.

To develop methods to detect and analyse low surface brightness galaxies. To develop existing methods to detect and analyse low surface brightness galaxies using state-of-the-art data sets. Also investigate completeness of the low mass end of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function, and as a result, rule out and improve cosmological models of galaxy evolution.

The goal of this project is to analyse the effect of active galactic nucleus (AGN) and supernova feedback mechanisms in the ejection of metals from lambda CDM halos. Specifically, dwarf galaxies will be investigated as it has been suggested that they ought to be responsible for the bulk of metals present in the intergalactic medium. Modern hydrodynamical cosmology simulations with high mass resolutions will be used to investigate this with a view to replicating the expected distribution of metals.