The role of structural genomic variants in eco-evolutionary processes

ongoing

Genetic diversity is a fundamental level of biodiversity at a time of global change. It provides variation that underpins species persistence and their adaptation to changing environments. Variation in the direction or presence of DNA sequences has been largely overlooked until now. Yet, those structural variants (SVs) represent a key aspect of genetic diversity. SVs cover 3 to 10 times more of the genome than the well-studied single-nucleotide variants and have different properties (length, effect on recombination, mutation rate). Structural variation thus represents a quantitative and qualitative shift in our understanding of genetic diversity, with predicted, but understudied, implications for evolution. The project EVOL-SV calls for a reassessment of the genomic basis of eco-evolutionary processes. My ambition is to lead new research avenues on the impact of SVs in ecology and evolution and to determine the contribution of SVs to current biodiversity. I will combine cutting-edge genomics and powerful experimental approaches, developed throughout my career, to perform multidisciplinary research on a focal system, Coelopa flies, and then across taxa. First, I will investigate SVs within a population genetic framework in Coelopa spp. to determine how SV properties affect their distribution and effects on fitness. Second, I will assess the contribution of SVs to deleterious load in a case of range shift northwards. Third, I will examine how SVs contribute to phenotypic adaptation, focusing on parallel climatic gradients and rapid thermal variation. Fourth, at a broader phylogenetic level, I will draw general principles about the evolution of structural genetic diversity. EVOL-SV will have long-term impacts by providing the first comprehensive assessment of structural genetic diversity across the tree of life, developing the study of SVs in non-model species, and determining how genetic architecture contributes to evolutionary response in a rapidly changing world.