Population Genomics and Climate Change Vulnerability in Two Sympatric Desert Rodents.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Conservation Genetics

Background:

• Desert ecosystems face significant threats from climate change, including intensified droughts and altered precipitation patterns.
• Understanding the responses of specialized desert species to climate change is crucial but remains limited.
• Rodent species in arid and semi-arid regions are particularly vulnerable to these environmental shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate population genetic structure, demographic history, and climate adaptation in two sympatric rodent species in East Asia.
• To evaluate climate change risks using genomic offset, ecological niche modeling, and landscape connectivity.
• To identify vulnerable populations and predict responses to climate change in desert ecosystems.

Main Methods:

• Integration of population and ecogenomic approaches.
• Analysis of population genetic structure and demographic history.
• Genomic offset analysis, ecological niche modeling, and landscape connectivity assessments.

Main Results:

• Two rodent species diverged into five distinct lineages across arid regions, with divergence dating between 20,000 and 400,000 years ago.
• Species showed distinct climate adaptations but congruent vulnerability to future climate change, marked by genomic offset and niche suitability loss.
• Eastern lineages in high precipitation seasonality areas face higher risks, while western lineages in low seasonality areas appear less vulnerable.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a framework for identifying vulnerable desert populations under climate change.
• Conservation strategies should consider lineage-specific vulnerabilities and habitat connectivity.
• Predicting species' responses to climate change is vital for effective desert ecosystem conservation.