Humic substance-driven (non)parallel adaptation in fish – genomic, transcriptomic and phenotypic perspective

Parallel evolution of the same genes and traits in similar environments has traditionally been considered as a strong evidence for adaptation.

Yet, because natural selection is rarely univariate, the evolutionary and ecological processes that contribute to the parallel evolution are not well understood, especially for higher organisms in their natural habitats. This project aims to shed light on the parallel and non-parallel nature of humic substance-driven adaptation.

Using the keystone species, Eurasian perch, we aim to: 1) identify parallel and nonparallel patterns of humic substance-driven selection; 2) detect (non)parallel patterns of selection linked to contemporary brownification using archived samples; 3) disentangle the genetic and environmental effects on gene expression variation; 4) discover potential causal links between regulatory SNPs and transcript abundance.

We will achieve these aims by combining environmental and phenotypic measurements, whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing, analysis of archival and contemporary samples and common garden experiments.

Our project will provide novel insights on how the environment shapes genomes at different evolutionary time-scales and, shed light on ecological, functional and evolutionary insights into the mechanisms underlying (non)parallel adaptation.

Thus, this proposal is unique, timely and has implications beyond specific study systems by linking genes to function, ecosystem processes, and global change.