Mr Antoine Minne1, Dr Sofie Vranken1, Prof Jacqueline Batley1, Dr Philipp Bayer1, Prof Thomas Wernberg1,3, Adj/Prof Melinda Coleman1,2
1University Of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, 2Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 3Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway
Ongoing climate change and increase in extreme events are significantly impacting marine coastal ecosystems, including temperate kelp forests. Kelp’s adaptive potential and response to climate change partly relies on genetic diversity and composition which can vary among populations. Using genetic tools to identify populations likely to tolerate future environmental conditions is critical for effectively planning conservation initiatives. Using >9,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we characterised the neutral and adaptive genomic patterns of diversity and structure for the kelp Ecklonia radiata along the eastern coastline of Australia, a major global warming hot-spot. We found a relatively weak population structure in coastal populations within the main path of the East Australian Current when compared to stronger patterns of genetic isolation towards higher latitudes, supported by a large amount of private alleles in Tasmanian populations. The spatial distribution of genetic diversity showed minimum values at low latitude, in a unique northern rear edge site where kelp can only be found around 30 meters of depth. Outlier identification and gradient forest analysis are being conducted to further understand processes of local adaptation, including estimation of genomic vulnerability via a mismatch between current and future predicted genotype–environment relationships. Ultimately, those results will inform proactive management strategies to future proof kelp forests and maintain their associated ecological and economic services.
Biography:
I am a PhD candidate interested in applying population genetics approaches to marine habitat-forming species. I studied marine sciences at the Aix-Marseille University (France) and at UNSW (Australia). Currently based in Perth (Western Australia), my PhD research focuses on the application of genetic and evolutionary approaches to unravel the adaptive potential of populations of the kelp Ecklonia radiata around Australia across latitudinal and depth gradients. My research also involves working with kelp early life stages to further detect signs of adaptation, primarily to temperature, between populations.
