This $501,088 project grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Emerging Frontiers, under the Biological Sciences federal grant program (CFDA 47.074), will fund research examining adaptive genetic variation in American pikas (Ochotona princeps) through space and time. Specifically, the grantee, San Jose State University Research Foundation on behalf of San Jose State University, will apply whole genome sequencing and landscape genomics to analyze modern and historic museum specimens of American pikas. The research aims to identify adaptive genetic variation along spatial and temporal environmental gradients, examine associated physiological pathways, and investigate whether populations from different genetic lineages have experienced parallel evolution for these traits. Additionally, the grantee will develop a panel of neutral and functional genetic markers to noninvasively survey and monitor pika populations across their range. This work seeks to better understand how pika populations have responded to past environmental changes to better predict their response to current and future climate change impacts.
Generated 1/7/24, 11:26 AM