The genomic basis of temperature adaptation across space
Informations
- Funding country
Norway- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 1/1/2021
- End date
- 12/31/2025
- Budget
- 1,436,025 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRIMEDBIO - Independent projects - Medicine, Health Sciences and Biology | Grant | - | - | 1,436,025 EUR |
Abstract
How do organisms adapt to their local environment? This question is a main focus of evolutionary biology. It becomes urgent in times of anthropogenic climate change, as we need to predict whether populations and species will be able to adapt to future conditions. To fully understand adaptation, we need to identify the genes responsible for it. In particular, we need to analyse how these genes change across the species range, and find out which populations contain genes that will help them to respond to changing environments in the future. This project will contribution towards these goals by studying the genetic basis of temperature adaptation in great detail. We will focus on an ideal study species, the marine snail Littorina saxatilis, a key member of marine ecosystems. On the large scale, the species covers a wide range from warm (e.g. Spain) to cold waters (e.g. northern Norway). On the small scale, it occupies cliffs with steep temperature gradients in each location. We will identify the genes contributing to temperature adaptation and ask where they are located in the genome. For that, we will apply a set of complementary approaches (e.g. DNA sequencing, physiological experiments, and crosses of snails in the lab). Together, they will allow for comprehensive insights. We will especially focus on changes across space. For example, we will test whether the same genes contribute to adaptation in different geographical locations, and whether adaptation on small scales (shore levels) and large scales (latitudinal gradients) uses the same genes. We will also study a population recently introduced to waters unusually warm for this species (Mediterranean), mimicking climate change. Our work will represent a pioneering case study that will help us to better understand temperature adaptation and obtain important results necessary to predict how populations will respond to climate change.