Abstract
The availability of genomic data for an increasing number of organisms offer the possibility to infer how species and ecosystems evolved in the face of severe environmental changes. This should provide us with precious information to predict how current populations might adapt to global climate change. In the present project we will build upon our recent work on the genomics of Norway spruce, one of the main boreal forest tree species. Genomic data will be generated and used to (i) reconstruct the history of the Norway spruce population and in particular assess its response to past climate cycles during the Quaternary, (ii) identify genes associated to adaptive variation in Norway spruce, with special attention to phenology, a character that is crucial for adaptation and easy to incorporate in prediction models of the response of forest tree ecosystems to climate changes as well as in breeding programs.
Sweden