A species, multiple places: how the ecology and evolution of silver moss Bryum argenteum are shaped across environmental gradients?

• Grant number: 23/14623-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Pinheiro
• Grantee: Wagner Luiz dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/09580-7 - Gene expression profile in Bryum argenteum: responses to water and heat stress and sexual regulation under different environmental conditions, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

English: Evolutionary ecology is an interdisciplinary field that combines ecology and evolutionary biology to examine how interactions between organisms and their environments influence evolution and shape the characteristics of organisms. This study encompasses a macroecological scale, investigating how these interactions impact patterns of species distribution and diversity on a large scale. Focusing on the moss Bryum argenteum, this project fills a knowledge gap by exploring the ecological aspects of this species across all phytogeographic domains in Brazil, which offer a variety of unique climates and environmental gradients. The project utilizes reproductive, ecophysiological, and transcriptome analyses to understand how different environments shape the evolution and adaptation of B. argenteum. The specific objectives include:1) Reproduction: Investigating the pattern of reproductive allocation and the 'shy male' hypothesis, examining how environments affect phenological development and reproductive isolation among populations from different ecosystems.2) Ecophysiology: Exploring how genotypes respond to water and heat stress in different regions of Brazil, with the hypothesis that genotypes from drier regions will demonstrate greater tolerance due to repeated exposure to these stresses.3) Transcriptome: Identifying genes related to sexual expression and abiotic stress tolerance, as well as investigating possible genes associated with the sexual expression of different sexes.Overall, this project expands our understanding of how large-scale environmental factors influence the ecology and evolution of Bryum argenteum. Furthermore, it contributes to biodiversity conservation by providing insights into the species' adaptations to variable environments in various regions of Brazil.