Landscape transcriptomics as a tool for addressing global change effects across diverse species

Area of Science:

• Integrative biology and ecology
• Genomics and environmental science

Background:

• Landscape transcriptomics is an emerging field that examines genome-wide gene expression patterns in relation to landscape-scale environmental factors.
• Advancing molecular technologies enable transcriptome characterization in wild populations across diverse environments.
• Understanding these responses is critical due to rapid anthropogenic environmental change and its broad biological impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the connection between transcriptome variation and environmental heterogeneity across landscapes.
• To investigate the mechanisms and evolutionary aspects of transcriptomic responses to environmental drivers.
• To apply landscape transcriptomics knowledge to species conservation and management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Characterizing transcriptomes from wild individuals across natural landscapes.
• Analyzing genome-wide expression patterns in relation to environmental variables (habitat, weather, climate, contaminants).
• Developing and testing hypotheses regarding environmental influences on gene expression.

Main Results:

• Established links between landscape-scale environmental variation and genome-wide expression patterns.
• Identified key environmental drivers influencing transcriptomic variation in wild populations.
• Demonstrated the potential for transcriptomic data to inform conservation and management decisions.

Conclusions:

• Landscape transcriptomics provides a powerful framework for addressing fundamental questions in organismal biology, ecology, and evolution.
• This field offers essential tools for effective species conservation and management in a changing world.
• Overcoming current challenges will further enhance the utility and application of landscape transcriptomics.