Adaptation of marine lake invertebrates to variable environments

Motivation

The environment is one of the key landscape components which determine population isolation and divergence. For marine populations, it is still not well-known how differences in environmental variables contribute to adaptation and speciation. Especially in this changing world it is imperative we understand how populations might respond. We use the clearly defined spatio-temporal context of marine lakes, "island of sea", to answer the following questions:

Aims and objectives

To what extent are marine lake populations genetically connected?
What drives genetic differentiation on small spatial scales?
Do we find signatures of selection related to specific local adaptation?
Can we link genetic variation to morphological and physiological variation?

Method

We have selected marine lakes along a gradient in connection to the sea and local environment. They represent "natural laboratories", which hold long-term exposed populations. By employing state-of-the art genomic sequencing and bioinformatic techniques, we can explore demographic histories and signatures of selection. Micro ct scans will be used to complement genetic data with morphology.