Data from: Genomic vulnerability of a sentinel mammal under climate change

Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, particularly in
alpine ecosystems where species have already undergone elevational range
shifts. Genomics can be used to estimate the adaptive potential of
species, as well as the shift in adaptive genomic composition necessary
for populations to adjust to climate change (e.g. genomic offset). Here,
we investigated patterns of climate-mediated adaptive genetic variation
and predicted the degree of genomic offset under multiple climate change
scenarios for a sentinel alpine mammal, the American pika (Ochotona
princeps). We collected genome-wide data (29,709 SNPs) from 363
individuals spanning the entire range in western North America and
employed genotype-environment association analyses to identify 938 robust
outlier SNPs, several of which were linked to genes previously associated
with high elevation and hypoxia responses in various pika species
(Ochotonidae). Adaptive genomic variation was most strongly influenced by
mean warmest month temperature, followed by precipitation of the coldest
quarter. Spatial patterns of genomic offset were heterogeneous,
significantly predicted by levels of adaptive genetic variation, elevation
and latitude. Sites within the Northern Rocky Mountains exhibited the
highest genomic offset under projected climate change despite possessing
high levels of adaptive genetic variation. As such, while our study
provides an example of how genomic data can be used to explore the
potential consequences of climate change, it further highlights the need
for careful consideration of genomic offset values within their proper
ecological context.