GEE Friday Seminar - Dr Alexandra Jansen Van Rensburg, Research Fellow, CBER

Abstract: Predicting when and to what extent species will persist under rapidly changing climatic conditions is critical for mitigating biodiversity loss. However, species differ in their ability to respond to their changing environment, with some species successfully persisting or expanding their ranges, while other species' ranges are retracting. We use a multi-species approach to determine the similarities and differences in evolutionary responses to ecological change over the last century. DNA from historical (museum) and present-day individuals was used to generate whole genome sequencing data for 20 UK Lepidoptera species (7 stable, 7 expanding, 6 contracting). Given the high degree of synteny across Lepidopteran genomes, and the availability of high quality chromosome level genomes for each species, we can compare the extent of evolutionary change across the genome between all species. Specifically, we ask how much genetic diversity has changed over time, and if this differs between successful (stable or expanding) and vulnerable (declining) species. We also ask how much evolutionary change has occurred over time, and if this differs between successful and vulnerable species.