Project description
Understanding the impact of climate change on shortfin mako shark populations
Climate change is the greatest threat to biodiversity. Understanding its past impact on certain species plays a vital role in their future conservation. Populations of many shark species are declining, yet little is known about their genetic histories and ecological effects on their populations. The EU-funded DiMaS project will perform genomic analyses on skeletal remains of the shortfin mako shark to study locality and time-related patterns of its global populations. This will help determine the microevolution of this endangered species and predict its future reaction to climate change. The study could lead to future research on marine population genomics.
Objective
Understanding species responses to environmental changes is vital for conservation of biodiversity. In this respect, DNA from archived specimens represents an exclusive source of temporal genetic data. Although sharks are keystone apex predators in marine systems, there is a complete absence of temporal genetic studies for any species. DiMaS aims to investigate past and contemporary spatio-temporal patterns of effective population size (Ne), genetic diversity and population connectivity of shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus – SMA), using a comparative approach across the globe. Most shark species have experienced significant population decreases documented throughout their range, with SMA currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In this project, I will use archived skeletal material (jaws, vertebrae and teeth) and an exome capture method for generating high throughput data. The data will be analysed through and eco-evolutionary framework to understand the effects of past climatic changes and anthropogenic pressures on the recent micro-evolutionary history of the species, and to predict the most likely responses to future climatic changes. In this context, DiMaS has the potential to become a seminal work in marine population genomics, as it will help describe and understand micro-evolutionary and demographic effects in marine apex species, shaped by natural and anthropogenic-induced environmental processes. In addition, by using a training-through-research approach, DiMaS will greatly contribute to strengthen my theoretical knowledge on evolutionary theory, and acquire new skills in population genomics and bioinformatics analyses. These skills, in combination with training to enhance management and supervisory/teaching competencies, will significantly contribute to my career development.
Fields of science
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark