Mechanisms and eco-evolutionary implications of urban evolution in the water flea Daphnia

 Urbanization induces strong environmental alterations and is considered a strong selective agent in current day landscapes. I previously showed that the water flea Daphnia magna genetically adapts to urbanization via the evolution of a higher heat tolerance, a faster pace-of-life, and higher concentrations of energy reserves. Daphnia is an important interactor in freshwater ponds and pools, contributing to the clear-water phase via top-down control of algae. Yet, a number of research gaps in urban evolutionary ecology remain unresolved. Here, I aim to study the mechanisms and consequences of observed urban evolution in Daphnia and broaden the research scope of urban evolutionary ecology. I will study genomic signals of urban adaptations, as well as test the importance of both the gut microbiome and sexual reproduction in shaping adaptive responses to urbanization. Secondly, I will test how urban adaptations in Daphnia impact local zooplankton community assembly and ecosystem functions in urban ponds via transplant experiments. As an addition to studying such local 'eco-evolutionary feedbacks' I will engage in a modelling exercise to assess how urban evolution might facilitate future climate change adaptation on a regional scale. Finally, I start to build a genomic database of Daphia across cities in Western-Europe to assess to what extent urbanization induces similar patterns of urban evolution across the region (i.e. parallel evolution).