Knowledge of environmental adaptation is important for the prediction of how and which populations will be affected by climatic change. However, only few studies on soil invertebrates have been published on adaptation to climatic gradients. This is rather surprising as soil invertebrates are important components of soil ecosystems and play an important function in the soil. Latitudinal variation in traits related to fitness can be the result of adaptive evolution. Such variation would suggest a contribution of directional selection causing differentiation among populations. Geographic gradients are of specific interest as climate strongly varies with geographical variables, and this approach can be used as a “space for time substitution” to unravel how populations will be affected by climate change.

In this project we would like to investigate drought resistance along a latitudinal gradient spanning more than 2000 km running north/south in Europe to establish population differences and associate these differences with climatic variables. We will focus on a widespread enchytraeid, Cognettia sphagnetorum, as model organism because this is the dominant soil animal in the soil at Brandbjerg. But other soil animals such as springtails could also be used.

Contact (More contact info - press here):

Martin Holmstrup, DMU, martin.holmstrup@dmu.dk; Kristine Maraldo, DMU, krm@dmu.dk