AdaptClim · Genomic and epigenomic signatures of climate-mediated selection in cattle
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2015-05-01 → 2018-04-30
- EU contribution
- €183,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Genomic and epigenomic signatures of climate-mediated selection in cattle
Official assessments of climate change impacts in Europe predict substantial economic losses due to the progressive upward trend in average temperatures over the next century, and the decrease in annual rainfall. Global warming will lead to a decreased forage production and quality, and an increased disease risk, which will significantly change conditions for livestock production. Increasing climate resilience and enhancing sustainable production for animals in harsh environments are important goals for the livestock sector. The outcomes from this project will help provide strategies for the maintenance of European farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) by providing molecular tools that allow selection for improved cattle performance and efficiency under predicted climatic change models. This project aimed to address the role of epigenetic regulation of thermal adaptation in cattle by comparing the whole genomes and methylomes of two tropical Creole cattle breeds and their main Iberian ancestors, and to evaluate the genomic and epigenomic components implicated in rapid adaptation to extreme climatic conditions, and as a result to identify biomarkers of resilience. Apart from the inherent advance in knowledge on the interaction between genome and epigenome, this project provided insights into the biology and evolution of a species under drastic climate change. The outcomes from this project will help in designing management systems to improve productivity, thermal and stress tolerance, and disease resistance in cattle.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Official assessments of climate change impacts in Europe predict substantial economic losses due to the progressive upward trend in average temperatures over the next century, and the decrease in annual accumulated rainfall. Global warming will lead to a decreased forage production and quality, and an increased disease risk, which will significantly change conditions for livestock production. Therefore, increasing climate resilience and enhancing sustainable production for animals in harsh environments are important goals for the livestock industry. Fortunately, a natural experiment already exists where a rapid adaptation to extreme climatic conditions was imposed on a limited number of livestock, Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, which therefore provides a model system to study adaptive selection. Given the accumulating evidence that epigenetic processes may increase the evolutionary potential of organisms to respond to stress and other challenges, the aim of this project is to compare the genomes and methylomes of two tropical Creole bovine breeds, their main Spanish ancestors, and one taurine breed from Africa, to understand rapid adaptation to extreme climatic conditions and identifying biomarkers of resilience. The anticipated outcomes from this project will help in designing management systems to improve productivity, thermal and stress tolerance, and disease resistance in cattle.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- CARDIFF UNIVERSITY · CARDIFFCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union