Drosophila subobscura - Population Transciptomics. Drosophila subobscura

Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation, and the underlying trade-offs, in widespread species is critical in the face of environmental change because remaining adapted underpins population persistence. Of special concern is change in thermal environmental gradients, particularly for ectotherms in which temperature limits physiological performance. In turn, this impacts the evolution of life history traits and so fitness. This project aims to identify trade-offs in gene expression predicted to underlie local adaptation in both common garden laboratory conditions and caged field populations, using Drosophila subobscura from six locations across its native 20⁰ latitudinal range in Europe, representing an 11⁰C difference in mean annual temperature. This species has been described as a “microevolutionary weapon” against climate change since it exhibits both clinal variation in phenotypic and genetic traits and genetic responses to thermal selection both in the laboratory and in the wild.