Unveiling convergent adaptation in Mediterranean pines to inform a new tool for the management of forest genomic resources

Abstract

Climate change is negatively affecting forest species due to the insurgence of adaptive lags between the current genetic make-up of populations and the newly established climatic conditions. The consequent disruption of local adaptation is of concern as plants may not be able to adapt or migrate fast enough, which could inflate genetic erosion, eradication and extinction. Ongoing conservation efforts are devoted to characterize forest genetic resources, so as to maximize adaptive potential and increase the chance of forests to tackle future conditions. MedForAct will focus on three iconic pine species from the Mediterranean basin (Pinus halepensis, Mill. 1768, P. pinaster Aiton, 1789, and P. pinea L., 1753) to identify a core set of genes and gene networks that fostered intraspecifc and convergent adaptations in the face of complex climate dynamics and despite million years of independent evolution. To tackle this challenge, the project will use a newly produced genomic dataset composed of c. 1,200 individuals genotyped at c. 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms representing both neutral and adaptive variation, and rely on landscape genomics to identify signatures of convergent local adaptation along the genomes of the target species. Following this, MedForAct envisages exploiting such information to ground a new software that can account for climate change predictions, estimate potential adaptive lags and assist forest managers with genomic-informed guidelines for targeted reforestation and assisted migration.