Descripción del proyecto
Dilucidar los mecanismos de la rápida radiación evolutiva en plantas
Una de las principales preguntas en biología consiste en comprender por qué algunos linajes generan rápidamente una diversidad de especies sorprendentemente alta. El paradigma actual es que la adaptación a diferentes nichos ecológicos, junto con el aumento de la diversidad genotípica, desencadenan esta rápida radiación evolutiva. Con todo, los estudios existentes no evalúan la hipótesis alternativa, es decir, que las radiaciones rápidas también podrían ser favorecidas por procesos no adaptativos mediados, por ejemplo, por el aislamiento geográfico de linajes con nichos ecológicos similares. Para dilucidar cómo los procesos adaptativos y no adaptativos afectan en conjunto a la rápida radiación evolutiva, el equipo del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos RadiPhyte estudiará el género «Dianthus» en Eurasia, que presenta la radiación vegetal más rápida conocida. El proyecto se centrará en tres aspectos clave: filogenómica, modelización de nichos ecológicos y evolución de rasgos fenotípicos.
Objetivo
Understanding why some lineages rapidly generate exceptionally high species diversity (undergo rapid radiation) lies at the heart of our understanding of biodiversity and is a key question in biology. Adaptation to different ecological niches together with rise of phenotypic diversity is considered to trigger rapid radiations. However, existing studies fail to test the alternative (or null) hypothesis, namely that a rapid radiation is driven by non-adaptive processes mediated by geographic isolation of lineages with similar ecological niches. In order to uncover the contributions of adaptive and non-adaptive processes to a rapid radiation, I will focus on the radiation of Dianthus in Eurasia, the most rapid plant radiation known. RadiPhyte aims at developing a novel, integrative perspective on evolutionary radiations, beyond the narrow focus on adaptive radiations, to unravel the driving forces in this plant radiation. RadiPhyte will focus on three key aspects: phylogenomics, ecological niche modelling, and phenotypic trait evolution, and will encompass species from the biodiversity hotspots across the Mediterranean mountains and from the semi-arid/arid mountains of Irano-Anatolia, Caucasus and Central Asia which are not only highly biodiverse but severely understudied and threatened by climate change. RadiPhyte combines the strengths of the host in ecological genomics of adaptive processes in Dianthus, with those of the applicant in phylogenetics, ecological niche modelling, and geometric morphometrics. RadiPhyte will thus promote a two-way transfer of knowledge between the host and the applicant and create important synergies. RadiPhyte comprises a comprehensive dissemination strategy, and is in line with the “climate change action in developing countries with fragile mountainous ecosystems from a sub-regional perspective” of the EU with the aim to integrate the knowledge gained in the continental arid regions with those available within Europe.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinador
8092 Zuerich
Suiza