Evaluating the adaptive potential of organisms to respond to environmental change

该计划利用技术进步来开发适应气候变化的基因清单，使用来自澳大利亚东部不同气候的醋蝇作为模型系统。这份清单将产生监测气候变化对种群影响的新方法，并测试来自受威胁栖息地的生物的适应潜力。一个关键的假设是，这些生物限制了应对环境变化的遗传选择，从而增加了灭绝的风险。该项目研究蚊类对污染物的遗传适应，后者是监测水健康的关键群体。通过评估进化潜力和DNA物种标记，应产生水污染物的生物特征。

The program utilizes technological advances to develop a gene inventory for climatic change adaptation, using, as model system, the vinegar fly from divergent climates along eastern Australia. The inventory will result in new methods for monitoring climatic change impact on populations, and for testing adaptive potential of organisms from threatened habitats. A key hypothesis is that these organisms have restricted genetic options to counter environmental change, increasing extinction risk. The program investigates genetic adaptation to pollutants in midges, a key group for monitoring water health. By assessing evolutionary potential and DNA species markers, biological signatures of aquatic pollutants should result.