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Project

The role of genomic and epigenomic variation in the ability of natural plant populations to cope with climate change

Ongoing climate change is among the most important threats to species and community conservation. Plant species in particular are often dispersal limited, rendering in situ adaptation as the primary strategy to cope with changing environmental conditions. Whereas local adaptation is generally referred to as a genetic process, the role of epigenetic mechanisms in governing plant responses to changes in local conditions remains strongly understudied despite the well-known contribution of epigenetic variation to phenotypic diversity. To achieve a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing plant responses to climate change, the increasing availability of genomic resources should be exploited in concert with appropriate analytical methods. Fragaria vesca, the woodland strawberry, is an ideal model species to study both genomic and epigenomic adaptation, because its genome has been fully sequenced, it has a short reproductive cycle, and can be propagated clonally. I aim to apply extensive cloning experiments and state-of-the-art genomic and epigenomic frameworks, to tackle unresolved questions in climate change biology. More specifically, elucidating the relative importance of genetic and epigenetic plant responses to drought would provide fundamental insights into important ecological and evolutionary processes relevant to the conservation of plant populations.

Date:1 Oct 2016 →  30 Sep 2020
Keywords:natural plant populations, genomic variation, epigenomic variation, climate change
Disciplines:Plant biology