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| Abstract Title:
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| The Evolution of Seasonal Development in Response to Climate Change
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| Graduate Student Presenter:
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Kevin J Emerson
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| Name of the Author(s) and Affiliation(s):
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Kevin Emerson, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon; William Bradshaw, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon; Christina Holzapfel, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Ore
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In predictable temperate environments it is advantageous to anticipate and to prepare physiologically for seasonal change. A wide variety of animals, from rotifers to rodents use day length (photoperiod) as the cue for the timing of their seasonal life-history events, including development, reproduction, migration and dormancy. As seasonality changes with geography, so also does response to photoperiod. Evolution of photoperiodism therefore constitutes the major adaptation of animal populations when dispersing in temperate and polar regions or when confronting rapid climate change. We specifically address the question: What is the genetic basis of evolutionary change in photoperiodic control of seasonal development, and thus rapid response to climate warming? Using cutting-edge genomics techniques that have been designed for use in ‘non-model’ organisms, we can address this question using the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, for which there is an abundance of data on the ecology, evolution, physiology and biogeography of seasonal timing. Deciphering the genetic basis of the evolution of photoperiodism as W. smithii dispersed through the temperate zone over evolutionary time allows us to understand the current rapid genetic response in seasonal timing as a result of recent climate change.
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