Evolution · Ecological extinction and evolution: answers from ancient biomolecules
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-10-01 → 2022-09-30
- EU contribution
- €203,852
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Ecological extinction and evolution: answers from ancient biomolecules
Previous studies on extinct Pleistocene megafauna attempted to decipher species’ responses to environmental change through genetic studies and palaeodietary reconstruction. However, none of these studies addressed the issue of whether changes in palaeoecology represent evolutionary processes or are instead a result of environmentally induced plasticity. The present research project proposes novel ways of addressing the aforementioned question through an interdisciplinary approach including palaeogenomics, ancient epigenomics and palaeoecology. Modern genomes of Scandinavian brown bears have also been generated, which is of interest for the study of cave bear evolution, since brown bears carry a small percentage of cave bear DNA. The produced dataset constitutes the most complete cave bear genome dataset ever analysed, allowing us to gain an unprecedented understanding of cave bear evolutionary history. Given that brown bears are sister species of cave bears, the brown bear dataset helps to understand to what extent the brown bear tracts in the cave bear’s genome have been adaptive. Specific conclusions will be drawn up that might be used as a basis for other palaeogenomic and palaeoenvironmental studies and also for extant relatives of the cave bear. Investigating the evolutionary implications leading to population differentiation during the extreme climate fluctuations of the Pleistocene provide insights into a species’ responses to environmental pressures with implications for the conservation and management of mammals.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Previous studies on extinct Pleistocene megafauna attempted to decipher species’ responses to environmental change through genetic studies and palaeodietary reconstruction. However, none of these studies addressed the issue whether changes in palaeoecology represent evolutionary processes or are instead a result of environmentally induced plasticity. The present research project proposes novel ways of addressing the aforementioned question through an interdisciplinary approach including palaeogenomics, ancient epigenomics and palaeoecology. The project will focus on a case study of cave bear populations in the Romanian Carpathians, a key region of their distribution prior extinction showing the most dramatic dietary differentiation among cave bears across their entire geographical range. We will explore the response of Late Pleistocene cave bear populations to environmental heterogeneity, and determine the genetic and epigenetic processes that led to these differences in Romanian cave bears. To achieve this, we will carry out next-generation sequencing of cave bears from different time-related populations with various dietary patterns. This dataset will constitute the most complete cave bear genome dataset ever analysed, allowing us to gain an unprecedented understanding of cave bear evolutionary history and moving forward the field of evolutionary epigenomics. This project will provide new research avenues that the experienced researcher will be able to exploit in order to reach and reinforce a position of professional maturity and independence. The experienced researcher will also be trained in cutting edge scientific techniques and analyses, as well as a number of skills that are transferable between countries and sectors (including management, grant writing, communication and teaching), and that will facilitate her development into a research leader.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- NATURHISTORISKA RIKSMUSEET · StockholmCoordinatorSweden
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union