Javier Morente Lopez

Spanish National Research Council | CSIC · Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología

Living organisms can show different responses to climate change. One of them is to migrate both in altitude and/or in latitude in search of more favorable conditions. However, for some species, effective migration is hard to achieve due to habitat fragmentation and limited dispersal. In such cases, these species must adapt to the new environmental conditions, either by non-genetic adaptation (phenotypic plasticity) or by evolutionary adaptation. Some populations experience difficulties adapting genetically to new conditions because they lack the necessary genetic diversity or cannot adapt fast enough to cope with climate change. A potential conservation strategy little studied until now involves selecting and maintaining genetic diversity of adaptive value to endow evolutionary resilience to target populations. Thus, the concept of “assisted evolution” encompasses any action in which there is an intentional human intervention on any of the four evolutionary forces (mutation, genetic drift, genetic flow and selection) for conservation purposes. In this context, the objective of the project is to assess the use of selection and genetic flow as tools to facilitate adaptation and increase the evolutionary resilience of populations affected by climate change. The research will focus on the advance of flowering onset, a trait of enormous adaptive importance in the context of the effects of climate warming. Working with two species of different life cycle and contrasting breeding systems (Lupinus angustifolius and Silene ciliata), the effectiveness of these tools on species with different life history traits will be evaluated. In parallel, the associated genetic risks will be evaluated through the study of potential genetic and phenotypic responses correlated with flowering onset that may also affect the fitness of individuals. The obtained results will help in assessing the feasibility of this type of actions and establishing, when appropriate, the necessary conditions for their application.

In recent years, rock climbing has grown tremendously in popularity, placing pressure on cliff ecosystems. Although limited, these ecosystems can support a great diversity of species. However, few studies have assessed the effects of climbing activity on the vegetation of these habitats. Furthermore, the few existing studies were conducted at local scales. For these reasons, we aim here to carry out the first comprehensive study of climbing effects on a large-scale ecosystem: the Mediterranean environment. This is one of the most fragile environments on the planet due to its varied climatic conditions, but at the same time, one of the most biodiverse. Mediterranean environmental conditions can be found in several regions around the world, including the Mediterranean basin, Southwest of Africa, California (USA), central Chile and Southwest Australia. It is therefore possible for us to study the climbing impacts on Mediterranean environments in different locations around the world. This study will allow us to evaluate if there is a common pattern of the climbing effect. Therefore, we expect that our study will unify the systematics to be used in this field, and that this will create a precedent for the management and long-term conservation of these ecosystems.

Adaptation is one of the main responses of living beings to new environmental conditions. It has been argued that populations that occur at the range limits have great adaptive value as they are found under environmental conditions that are limiting for the species. Nevertherless, this is a controversial statement because it is foreseable that these populations present low genetic diversity on which natural selection can barely operate. The purpose of this project is to assess the processes of local adaptation in the populations of the southernmost limit of distribution of Silene ciliata Pourret (Caryophyllaceae), a plant of the psicroxerophilous pastures of the Mediterranean high mountains, representative of one of the most vulnerable habitats to global change in Spain. The project will analyze the relevance of population size, a key factor in this process. Taking into account possible conservation actions that may be taken to rescue marginal populations, the effect of center-periphery genetic flux on individual fitness of marginal populations will be compared with that of periphery-periphery genetic flux. Finally, the genes expressed during the establishment of Silene ciliata seedlings that may be involved in local adaptation processes will be identified and loci that are under selection will be detected and identified. The combination of field experiment approaches (common gardens with in situ reciprocal sowings), ecogeographical characterization based on field data and geographic information systems, and molecular and genomic techniques, including next generation sequencing, allow an integral perspective of local adaptation and the assessment of the relevance of this process when developing strategies that minimize the impact of global change on biodiversity.