Evolutionary adaptation to climate change

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Climate Change Science
• Genetics and Epigenetics

Background:

• Climate change, driven by rising temperatures, has profound and lasting impacts on global biodiversity.
• While organismal responses to climate change are documented, the full spectrum of adaptive phenotypic traits and their genetic bases remain incompletely understood.
• Distinguishing between plastic and genetic adaptive changes is challenging, further complicated by interactions with demographic factors and other selective pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the multifaceted factors influencing the evolutionary adaptation of organisms to climate change.
• To identify a broader range of phenotypic traits involved in climate change adaptation, beyond traditional examples.
• To investigate the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying adaptive responses and improve predictive capabilities for evolutionary outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of current research on climate change adaptation across various taxa.
• Analysis of how natural and sexual selection mediate climate-driven adaptive responses.
• Exploration of the interplay between phenotypic plasticity, genetic assimilation, and epigenetic modifications in adaptation.

Main Results:

• Adaptive traits include not only range shifts and altered sex determination but also social/sexual conflicts and stress hormone regulation.
• Climate-driven selection impacts fitness-related traits (offspring growth, fertility) and evolutionary potential via natural and sexual selection.
• Predicting adaptive responses is complex, necessitating consideration of diverse traits and underlying genetic/epigenetic mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of climate change adaptation requires integrating diverse phenotypic traits, including often-overlooked social and physiological factors.
• Elucidating the genetic and epigenetic architecture of adaptive traits is key to predicting evolutionary trajectories under climate change.
• Ten proposed actions aim to enhance predictions of how organisms will genetically adapt to ongoing climate change, guiding future research directions.