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Background: Climate change is changing species’ habitat suitability. To persist, species can genetically adapt to new conditions, or move to newly available habitat, tracking suitable climate. Both responses to climate change will affect the genetic composition of species’ populations.
Research Goal: In our research we want to assess whether species can survive climate change without losing too much genetic diversity, and how we can change the landscape to help them do that.
Description of the work: Several subjects related to this work are possible, depending on the student’s interests and background, and the timing of the work. One subject is for example to assess under what conditions beneficial mutations can become established at the retracting species range. In another subject we can look at the distribution in time and space of haplotypes, for a more in depth assessment of how genetic diversity is moving through the species range. The list of research questions is endless, but all of them will consist of simulation modelling, using an existing model, and all will involve the question on how landscape changes can be beneficial for the species’ survival and for maintaining its genetic diversity under climate change.
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