Eelgrass adaptation to climate change - predicting future survival

This project aims to identify environmental parameters that drive local adaptation in eelgrass, Zostera marina, and predict persistence in a future and changing seascape. We will carry out a genomic study on large spatial scales (100s km), and relate genomic patterns of local adaptation to environmental factors. We will then predict fitness of certain genotypes in a multivariate environment, and translate fitness into maladaptation or “genomic offset” under global change. The predictions will be validated in common garden mesocosm experiments, where we expose identical genotypes to different environments. This approach allows to incorporate an evolutionary dimension into ecological questions, and will be a breakthrough for the concept of genetic diversity within management and conservation.