Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Université du Québec en Outaouais
$24,000.00
Phylogeography and adaptation to environmental gradients in sugar maple
FY 2024-25
Summary
The fast changing climatic conditions due to current global change pose a serious threat to the planet's biodiversity and to the ecosystem services it provides. In case of abrupt climate change as currently observed, species need either to adapt to their new conditions, or migrate into favorable habitats. Here I propose a comprehensive study to investigate the genomic adaptations driven by environmental factors in sugar maples, a species complex with a wide distribution in eastern North-America.
Since several historical demographic processes can mimic natural selection patterns and complexify the detection of adaptive genetic variation, we will first investigate the phylogenetic relationships among various maple species, and conduct a comparative phylogeographic study of the black and sugar maples, two species or ecotypes with a widely overlapping distribution and known to hybridize naturally. Finally, based on the results of these preliminary studies, we will use a landscape genomics approach to relate environmental and genetic variation across the distribution range of the sugar maple, and to understand its adaptive genetic variation and its response to global climate change.
It will be the first large scale study to investigate the genomic adaptations driven by climate in sugar maple, a dominant tree of temperate broad-leaf deciduous forests of north-eastern America with an important socio-economic value in eastern Canada. Understanding the capacity of maples to adapt to changing climatic condition is thus critical to guide the choice of seeds for reforestation and maximize the adaptive potential and resilience of maple forests in the face of global warming. Finally, this research project will contribute to the training of numerous highly qualified personnels to the state of the art methodologies in genomics. This is critical for the development of Canada's leading position in the fields of Biological, Environmental and Medical Sciences, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
Program
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Recipient
Location
Quebec, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
RGPIN-2017-04332
Name nom
Surget-Groba, Yann
Department département
Sciences Naturelles
Organization id
54
Institution établissement
Université du Québec en Outaouais
Province en
Québec
Province fr
Québec
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2017
Award amount
24000
Program id
RGPIN
Program name en
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
Program name fr
Programme de subventions à la découverte - individuelles
Group en
DISCOVERY RESEARCH
Group fr
RECHERCHE AXÉE SUR LA DÉCOUVERTE
Committee code
1503
Committee name en
Evolution and Ecology
Committee name fr
Évolution et écologie
Area of application code
1201
Area of application group en
Advancement of knowledge
Area of application group fr
Avancement des connaissances
Area of application en
Life sciences (including biotechnology)
Area of application fr
Sciences de la vie (y compris biotechnologie)
Research subject code
4709
Research subject group en
Evolution and ecology
Research subject group fr
Évolution et écologie
Research subject en
Taxonomy, systematics and phylogenetics
Research subject fr
Taxonomie, systématique et phylogénétique
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Phylogeography and adaptation to environmental gradients in sugar maple
Keywords
phylogeography; adaptation; hybridization; population genomics; bioinformatics; climate change; environmental gradients; hardwood trees; sugar maple; acer
Application summary
The fast changing climatic conditions due to current global change pose a serious threat to the planet's biodiversity and to the ecosystem services it provides. In case of abrupt climate change as currently observed, species need either to adapt to their new conditions, or migrate into favorable habitats. Here I propose a comprehensive study to investigate the genomic adaptations driven by environmental factors in sugar maples, a species complex with a wide distribution in eastern North-America.
Since several historical demographic processes can mimic natural selection patterns and complexify the detection of adaptive genetic variation, we will first investigate the phylogenetic relationships among various maple species, and conduct a comparative phylogeographic study of the black and sugar maples, two species or ecotypes with a widely overlapping distribution and known to hybridize naturally. Finally, based on the results of these preliminary studies, we will use a landscape genomics approach to relate environmental and genetic variation across the distribution range of the sugar maple, and to understand its adaptive genetic variation and its response to global climate change.
It will be the first large scale study to investigate the genomic adaptations driven by climate in sugar maple, a dominant tree of temperate broad-leaf deciduous forests of north-eastern America with an important socio-economic value in eastern Canada. Understanding the capacity of maples to adapt to changing climatic condition is thus critical to guide the choice of seeds for reforestation and maximize the adaptive potential and resilience of maple forests in the face of global warming. Finally, this research project will contribute to the training of numerous highly qualified personnels to the state of the art methodologies in genomics. This is critical for the development of Canada's leading position in the fields of Biological, Environmental and Medical Sciences, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
