Long-term dynamics of genetic diversity in European plant populations

Climate warming is driving range shifts and population declines in alpine species,

potentially leading to local extinctions and the loss of their genetic diversity,

reducing their capacity to adapt and persist in a rapidly changing environment.

Understanding how plant populations have responded to past environmental

changes is essential for forecasting their future resilience.

This PhD project combines paleoecological and paleogenomic approaches to

investigate the impacts of past climate variability and human activities on

mountain vegetation. By analyzing biological proxies, including ancient DNA

(aDNA) preserved in plant macrofossils, as well as pollen and charcoal particles

recovered from cave ice deposits, the research aims to: i) track long-term

population expansions and contractions of different species, ii) determine whether

significant changes occurred in the genetic diversity of past and present

populations and establish baseline levels, and iii) assess the degree of genetic

continuity between ancient and extant populations.

The project is particularly urgent, since ongoing warming threatens the persistence

of these frozen natural archives together with the unique paleoenvironmental

information they contain. The outcome will contribute to conservation strategies

by emphasizing the importance of preserving genetic diversity in the face of

current and future climate change.