The conservation of climatically-adaptive genetic variation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Institute of Integrative Biology
Abstract
The conservation of climatically-adaptive genetic variation
People |
ORCID iD |
| Raj Whitlock (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Toby Irving (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/P01058X/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/09/2021 | |||
| 1947462 | Studentship | NE/P01058X/1 | 30/09/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Toby Irving |
| NE/W503083/1 | 31/03/2021 | 30/03/2022 | |||
| 1947462 | Studentship | NE/W503083/1 | 30/09/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Toby Irving |
| Description | Emorsgate Seeds - iCASE partner |
| Organisation | Emorsgate Seeds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | As a PhD student I am researching the interplay between climate and genetics for Festuca ovina, a species that Emorsgate propagates, with plans to investigate their seed stocks alongside natural populations. Emorsgate seeds propagate wild plant seeds for use in landscaping and habitat restoration, as such they have an interest in the importance of local adaptation and genetic variation and the effects of cultivation and seed provenance on the adaptive potential of their seed. Effective habitat restoration through seeding can be contingent on the availability of appropriate genotypes to create a robust and resilient population of a species at a site; as such it is important to understand the scale and impact of local adaptation on performance of seed. To this end my work will consist of mesocosm experiments comparing the performance of genotypes collected from long established, natural populations, growing under different climatic conditions. By comparing plants grown from seed collected on north and south facing slopes in a pseudo-reciprocal-transplant experiment we can further our understanding of the effect of local adaptation on growth under non-optimal conditions. In addition to the mesocosm experiments, I will also be conducting genetic assays to investigate the differences at environmentally adaptive loci across several populations: -wild populations across the Peak District; north and south facing slopes -individuals from long term climate manipulation experiments at the Buxton Climate Change Impacts Laboratory -the current Emorsgate stocks of Festuca ovina -the source population for Emorsgate's stocks This works seeks to build an understanding of the genetic landscape underpinning local adaptation in Festuca ovina, an area of particular interest to Emorsgate for it's potential to inform and improve their practices of seed collection and propagation for restoration. . |
| Collaborator Contribution | Beyond funding, Emorsgate have provided material to work on, alongside information on the growth and use of Festuca ovina in conservation and restoration interventions. Their experience in the growth of Festuca ovina, their contacts, through business dealings and collaboration, with habitat restoration initiatives and their stock of Festuca ovina grown in cultivation for seed production will benefit my investigation into the evolutionary processes and selection that Festuca ovina is subjected to under different climatic conditions. |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Botanical University Challenge 2019 - Hosted by University of Reading |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Inter-university Botany Challenge, in the style of University Challenge, open to Postgraduate and Undergraduate students from universities across the country, competing to demonstrate botanical knowledge and build links between institutions. Competition was held at the University of Reading campus on 20th of February and drew challengers from 6 universities, competing over 3 rounds of questions leading to a dramatic draw on the final round between the teams from the Universities of Reading and Liverpool, with Reading securing first place on the second tie breaker question. Alongside the participating teams, the event was attended by staff from involved institutes as well as some members of the public from organisations such as the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and widely publicised on twitter with the hashtag #BUC2019 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Botanical University Challenge 2020 - Hosted by University of Liverpool |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Inter-university Botany Challenge, in the style of University Challenge, open to Postgraduate and Undergraduate students from universities across the country, competing to demonstrate botanical knowledge and build links between institutions. Competition was held at the University of Liverpool's Ness Botanic Gardens on 19th of February and drew challengers from 7 universities, competing over 3 rounds of questions about plant taxonomy, cultural impacts and importance, identification, ecology, physiology and physical specimens, ending once again in a final round between the universities of Liverpool and Reading, with Reading again taking first place due to their extensive knowledge, really highlighting the strength of their masters programme in botany. Alongside the participating teams, the event was attended by staff from involved institutes as well as some members of the public from organisations such as the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and Ness Gardens, and widely publicised on twitter with the hashtag #BUC2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Botanical University Challenge 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Another inter-university competition for plant science students (under and post-grad), hosted online this year and with 15 universities competing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-4th-botanical-university-contest-tickets-140962475559/ |
| Description | Family Science Fair (Ness Gardens) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Science fair aimed at families with children hosted at Ness Botanic Gardens, research group had a stall discussing aspects of our work on plant and microbial evolution and climate change, alongside arts and crafts activities for younger children, aimed to get them thinking about plants, microbes and adaptation. Other activities included model grasslands showing root diversity and guessing the number of bacteria in a soil volume, which people engaged well with. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://blogandlog.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/plants-microbes-and-climate-change-at-ness-botanic-garde... |