H2020Индивидуална стипендия2022–2024

GENESPERSIVE · DISPERSIVE GENOMES: Epigenetic potential as mediator of phenotypic plasticity and natal dispersal

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2022-09-01 → 2024-12-21
Финансиране от ЕС: 160 932 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Епигенетичният потенциал при птиците определя дали отделните индивиди са по-склонни да напуснат родния си дом и да се преселят на нови места. Това помага да се разбере как животните се адаптират към промените в климата и разширяват териториите си.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

DISPERSIVE GENOMES: Epigenetic potential as mediator of phenotypic plasticity and natal dispersal

Climate change is shaping animal movements at a global scale, affecting species distribution, phenology, and invasion status. Dispersal is the movement from the native habitat to another - either temporarily or for reproduction - and a highly relevant life history trait that will determine fitness prospects, population dynamics and species distributions. Although not all individuals are equally likely to disperse, the causes of the variation in dispersal propensity remain poorly understood. Epigenetic mechanisms – changes in gene expression that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence – enable rapid and plastic responses to environmental changes, and individual genomes may differ in their capacity to respond epigenetically – i.e. epigenetic potential. A high capacity for epigenetically-induced variation in these responses may be a requirement for species to successfully settle in novel environments, and this project predicts that individuals with higher dispersal propensity will show greater epigenetic potential. Using a 40-year dataset from a wild bird population and combining analysis of historical samples, field experiments and cutting-edge epigenetic techniques, GENESPERSIVE addresses this question at broad spatial and temporal scales, including long-term individual data and samples from multiple Eurasian populations to track past colonization and current expansion events. Among other project outcomes, we have developed a bioinformatics pipeline to quantify epigenetic potential from raw genetic sequences, which is publicly available. Our results suggest that, within a population, individuals showing higher dispersal also show higher epigenetic potential. Furtehrmore, we also found higher epigenetic potential in individuals living in that population during the colonization phase, when compared to those from later generations. GENESPERSIVE provides mechanistic insights of dispersal behavior, a key step towards predicting species responses in the face of anthropic changes.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

In an increasingly changing world, organisms need to adjust to environmental fluctuations, and life-history traits should evolve towards maximizing fitness in the face of this variability. Natal dispersal - the movement between the place of birth and first breeding - is a particularly relevant life history trait, and a pivotal decision that will determine fitness prospects, population dynamics and species distributions. Despite previous evidence that not all phenotypes are equally likely to disperse, the mechanistic underpinnings driving variation in natal dispersal remain poorly investigated. Epigenetic mechanisms – changes in gene expression that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence – enable more rapid and plastic phenotypic responses than are possible via genetic change, and individual genomes may differ in their capacity to respond epigenetically – i.e. epigenetic potential. A high capacity for epigenetically-induced phenotypic plasticity may be a requirement for dispersing individuals to successfully establish in novel environments, and I predict that individuals with higher natal dispersal propensity will show greater epigenetic potential. To test this, I will use a 37-year dataset from a wild bird population and combine analysis of historical samples, field experiments and cutting-edge epigenetic techniques. I will address this question at broad spatial and temporal scales, including long-term individual data and samples from multiple Eurasian populations to track past colonization and current expansion events. I will be amongst the first providing mechanistic insights of dispersal behavior, a fundamental part of accurately predicting species responses to climate and anthropic changes. I previously focused on studying physiological mechanisms driving phenotypic responses to environmental challenges, and I with this project I will take this expertise further into connecting molecular mechanisms, evolutionary processes and broad scale population dynamics.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridКоординаторИспания