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Evolution and plasticity of gene expression under progressive warming in Drosophila subobscura
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  • Marta Antunes,
  • Marta Santos,
  • Ana Quina,
  • Mauro Santos,
  • Margarida Matos,
  • Pedro Simões
Marta Antunes
University of Lisbon Faculty of Sciences

Corresponding Author:marta.alves.antunes@gmail.com

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Marta Santos
University of Lisbon Faculty of Sciences
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Ana Quina
Egas Moniz School of Health and Science Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research
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Mauro Santos
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
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Margarida Matos
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Pedro Simões
Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
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Abstract

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of thermal adaptation is crucial to predict the impacts of global warming. However, there is still a lack of research on the effects of rising temperatures over time, and of studies involving different populations from the same species. The present study focuses on these two aspects, which have been shown to be of great importance in understanding how organisms cope and adapt to ongoing changes in their environment. This study investigates the impact of global warming on the gene expression patterns of Drosophila subobscura populations from two different latitudinal locations after 23 generations of thermal evolution. Our results indicate that transcriptomic changes due to selection are contingent on the genetic background of the populations, with the high-latitude population exhibiting more pronounced changes. We found an interplay between plasticity and selection, with the high latitude population showing fewer initial plastic genes and lower levels of adaptive plasticity, but a greater magnitude of change in both plastic and selective responses during evolution under warming conditions compared to its low latitude counterpart. A substantial proportion of the transcriptome was observed to be subject to selection, despite the lack of observable response at the higher level of organisation. The interplay between plasticity and selection may prove to be an essential component in shaping species' evolutionary responses to climate change. Furthermore, the value of conducting studies on multiple populations of the same species is emphasised, given the identification of differences between populations with different backgrounds in several contexts.
Submitted to Molecular Ecology
Submission Checks Completed
Assigned to Editor
Reviewer(s) Assigned
05 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Jul 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
13 Aug 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
02 Sep 20241st Revision Received
03 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
03 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
03 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
11 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 Sep 20242nd Revision Received
19 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
19 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
19 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
24 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept