Project description
Impact of hybridisation on genetic diversity and adaptability
Climate change poses challenges to all species, requiring rapid adaptation. While phenotypic plasticity offers short-term responses, long-term survival depends on genetic changes, which take time. Hybridisation can increase genetic variation and adaptability, but its effects on traits in a changing climate remain poorly understood. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HYPE project will investigate whether hybridisation can help mitigate the effects of climate change by studying mound-building wood ants, a key forest species across Europe. The project will assess hybridisation’s impact on genetic diversity and examine its effects on heat tolerance, desiccation, and humidity stress under simulated climate change conditions. This research will have scientific and social implications.
Objective
Climate change is challenging all species. To persist, organisms must respond to fast-changing and perhaps extreme conditions. Phenotypic plasticity likely plays an important role and can occur within an organism’s lifetime but may be insufficient over a longer time. Adaptation via genomic changes requires time and sufficient variation on which natural selection can act – both of which are often limited in natural populations. Hybridisation between species can rapidly increase genetic variation, boosting plasticity and adaptive potential. However, our understanding of the effects of hybridisation on phenotypic traits under climate change is limited, despite its potential to promote persistence and reduce biodiversity loss.
In the project HYPE, I will assess if hybridisation can mitigate the effects of climate change by studying mound-building wood ants, geographically widespread keystone forest species. Across three research objectives, I will 1) quantify the extent of hybridisation across Europe and its impacts on genetic diversity; 2) assess the impact of hybridisation on acute heat tolerance; and 3) experimentally test the effect of hybridisation on seasonal phenotypic plasticity and adaptive potential under simulated climate change in three key traits, specifically acute heat, desiccation, and humidity stress tolerance.
I will combine European-wide fieldwork, cutting-edge population genomics, and large-scale phenotypic lab assays in a multidisciplinary and ambitious project. The results will push boundaries in our understanding of whether and how hybridisation influences the response of natural populations to climate change and can fuel adaptation to it. As such, they will be of high scientific and social impact, such as on UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The training-through-research will significantly advance my skills under excellent supervision and thus help me obtain a permanent position, apply for an ERC Starting Grant, and launch my independent career.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries forestry
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
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