Multi-locus genomic signatures of local adaptation to snow across the landscape in California populations of a willow leaf beetle

Organisms living in mountains contend with extreme climatic conditions, including short growing seasons and long winters with extensive snow cover. Anthropogenic climate change is driving unprecedented, rapid warming of montane regions across the globe, resulting in reduced winter snowpack. Loss of snow as a thermal buffer may have serious consequences for animals overwintering in soil, yet little is known about how variability in snowpack acts as a selective agent in montane ecosystems. Here we examine genomic variation in California populations of the leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis, an emerging natural model system for understanding how organisms respond to climate change. We used a genotype-environment association approach to identify genomic signatures of local adaptation to microclimate in populations from three montane regions with variable snowpack and a coastal region with no snow. We found that both winter-associated environmental variation and geographic distance contribut..., ,