Eco-evolutionary responses to environmental change
Many species are currently threatened by global environmental change. Marine species are threatened by ocean acidification, warmer temperatures, and lower oxygen levels. Similarly, terrestrial species are threatened by changing patterns of temperature and precipitation. We are investigating how intraspecific biodiveristy - diversity between individuals within a species - may play a role in species responses to environmental change. If some individuals or populations are adapted to local conditions, such as warmer and more acidic environments, these populations may be an important source for future generations.
Marine Invertebrates
Previously, I have been involved in research that has shown how ocean acidification can narrow the window for fertilization success in sea urchins, and how both chemical cues and genetics influence the synchrony of coral spawning.
Recently, my lab studied trans-generational responses of Eastern Oysters to ocean acidification. Oysters provide important ecosystem services including water filtration and habitat for other species. We discovered that oysters whose parents were exposed to acidic conditions grew faster than those who were exposed to normal conditions!
We are also working with the Eastern Oyster Genome Consortium and Eastern Oyster Breeding Consortium to analyze the oyster genome for genetic markers that confer disease resistance and adaptation to temperature and salinity stress. A better understanding of oyster genetics will lead to advanced applications in oyster breeding and increases in aquaculture productivity.
Did you know that oysters and other shellfish make their own shells? We still don't completely understand how this process of making shells will be affected by ocean acidification. This figure shows an example of how we monitor the response of the oyster, in the fluid where the shell is made.
Marine fish
We have also been also studying the responses of different species of marine fish to warming. For more information on our research on marine fish, please see the research page under "Fish population genomics".
Did you know that many species of trees show adaptations to their environment? This drawing shows spruce tree seeds that are collected from Oregon (left side) to Alaska (right side) and all grown in the same locations. Trees in the south grow for a longer period of time because they are adapted to long growing seasons, while trees in the north grow for only a short period of time because they are preparing for long winters. These adaptations have a genetic basis, and understanding these genetic adaptations can help managers better plant trees where they will grow best under climate change.
Conifers
Many communities in North America depend on forests for their economy. However, the climate envelope of trees is changing faster than the trees can keep up. In collaboration with the AdapTree project of the University of British Columbia, I have been studying the genetic basis of adaptation to climate in Lodgepole Pine and Engelmann/White Spruce hybrid complex. The primary objective of this project is to improve provincial seed transfer policy and operational forest management response to climate change. We have a unique dataset integrating genomic, phenotypic, and environmental data for hundreds of trees collected across the species range. Recently, we have discovered that some of the genes that control the response to climate are the same in both species, which was surprising because pine and spruce are as unrelated as humans and kangaroos (see Yeaman et al 2016). Recently, I published a new method for integrating our different data types (genomic, phenotypic, and environmental) in multi-dimensional space, which will gave new insights into how trees respond to multistressor environments (Lotterhos et al. 2018 Genome Biology).