A replicated climate change field experiment reveals rapid evolutionary response in an ecologically important soil invertebrate.
Whether species can respond evolutionarily to current climate change is crucial for the persistence of many species. Yet, very few studies have examined genetic responses to climate change in manipulated experiments carried out in natural field conditions. We examined the evolutionary response to climate change in a common annelid worm using a controlled replicated experiment where climatic conditions were manipulated in a natural setting. Analyzing the transcribed genome of 15 local populations, we found that about 12% of the genetic polymorphisms exhibit differences in allele frequencies associated to changes in soil temperature and soil moisture. This shows an evolutionary response to realistic climate change happening over short-time scale, and calls for incorporating evolution into models predicting future response of species to climate change. It also shows that designed climate change experiments coupled with genome sequencing offer great potential to test for the occurrence (or lack) of an evolutionary response.
Bioinformatics Research Center (BiRC), Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, Building 1110, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Thomas
T
Bataillon
CNRS UMR 5554, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
Nicolas
N
Galtier
CNRS UMR 5554, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
Aurelien
A
Bernard
Bioinformatics Research Center (BiRC), Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, Building 1110, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Nicolai
N
Cryer
CNRS UMR 5554, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
Nicolas
N
Faivre
UMR AGAP, INRA, 2 Place Viala, 34060, Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
Sylvain
S
Santoni
c/o Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, MGX-Montpellier GenomiX, 34094 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
Dany
D
Severac
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Ecosystems Centre, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
Teis N
TN
Mikkelsen
Department for Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Klaus S
KS
Larsen
Department for Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958, Frederiksberg, Denmark.|Centre for Catchments and Urban Water Research, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway.
Claus
C
Beier
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Jesper G
JG
Sørensen
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark.
Martin
M
Holmstrup
Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark.
Bodil K
BK
Ehlers
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002980:Climate; D057231:Climate Change; D005787:Gene Frequency; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012987:Soil; D013696:Temperature
D012987:Soil
RNA-seq; SNP; field experiment; selection