Population genomics, phylogeographic history, and evolutionary patterns in Antartic shallow-water benthic invertebrates
[eng] Benthic organisms inhabiting the shallow waters of the Southern Ocean are considered excellent models to study evolutionary processes, population connectivity patterns, and adaptation. They have evolved in an extreme environment, with expanding and retreating periods following glacial cycles,...
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Universitat de Barcelona
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2445/148100 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/668297 |
| Summary: | [eng] Benthic organisms inhabiting the shallow waters of the Southern Ocean are considered excellent models to study evolutionary processes, population connectivity patterns, and adaptation. They have evolved in an extreme environment, with expanding and retreating periods following glacial cycles, in an alternation pattern. Repeated rounds of population fragmentation in glacial refugia during glacial cycles followed by expansions and secondary contacts during interglacials were the main evolutionary force that brought Antarctic shallow-water ecosystems to their current state. In my PhD dissertation I have investigated in detail these singular evolutionary histories left in the genomes of our target species. Besides the past geological events, currently, threats from global warming arrive to the isolated southernmost continent. Indeed, coastal waters off West Antarctica are some of the most affected oceanic regions of the planet by global warming, with rather pessimistic projections for the near future. Considering this and the increasing local threats to which shallow-water ecosystems are exposed, it is fundamental to develop a well-connected network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) throughout the Southern Ocean. Despite genetic connectivity is not usually considered in MPA planning, population genetic studies can provide extremely valuable information to design connected MPA networks. In my dissertation I have also disentangled gene-flow patterns of Antarctic shallow-water benthic invertebrates, aiming to help to improve the current status of Southern Ocean MPAs. In order to achieve my goals, I combined information coming from ‘traditional’ genetic markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq), transcriptomes, and draft-level genomes. A wide range of species presenting different reproductive modes was selected in order to test whether this factor plays a role on connectivity and evolutionary patterns in the explained scenario of glacial ... |
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