Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity and rapid adaptation to multiple global change drivers, and the fate of global biodiversity patterns

政府间气候变化专门委员会最近证实，全球气候变化的速度和强度对生物多样性构成了严重威胁。为了减少灭绝的危险，对动物物种应对GCC的机制有深入的了解是至关重要的。重要的是，我们必须考虑到GCC涉及几个因素（例如温度，CO2, O2）的同时改变，这些因素可能对物种的不同发育阶段产生不同的影响。由于迄今为止的大多数研究都是着眼于单一物种在单一一代的单一发育阶段对单一压力源的短期暴露的可塑性反应，我们目前在这一领域的知识限制了我们做出准确可靠预测的能力。最重要的是，了解物种从灭绝中拯救出来的机制，对于决策者和管理者做出有关保护本地和全球多样性、自然资源的可持续利用以及社区和整个国家的社会经济适应的决策至关重要。因此，为了帮助克服这一研究领域中相关信息的缺乏，同时解决生理多样性的一些基本问题，我将描述生物体跨代可塑性的范围（例如，从父母暴露于压力源中获得的保护后代）以及它们对多个同时发生的气候驱动因素的快速适应能力。****我的项目旨在回答以下基本问题：(i)跨代可塑性能否防止GCC期间的物种灭绝？（ii）对GCC的适应能否迅速到足以拯救濒临灭绝的物种？（iii）与它们的共同近亲相比，稀有物种在gcc下的可塑性和适应性反应能力是否较差？（iv）与不太复杂的物种相比，更复杂的物种在GCC下的可塑性和适应性反应能力较差（即原生生物vs基础多细胞生物vs复杂多细胞生物）？（五）面对海湾合作委员会，全球生物多样性的命运如何？****我建议利用定量遗传方法与实验室选择实验和无性系不同的温度，CO2和O2的组合使用定量遗传方法。将在每一代或无性系中测量特定阶段的生理（如代谢率、热极限）和生活史性状（生存、生长、繁殖力），以确定塑性和适应性反应的方向和强度，以回答问题（i-iv）。最后，互补的建模方法将用于提供急需的综合，并使我们能够对全球生物多样性的命运做出概括和广泛但准确的预测(v)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recently confirmed that the rate and intensity at which global climate change (GCC) is occurring are a serious threat to biodiversity. A solid understanding of the mechanisms by which animal species can cope with GCC in order to reduce their risk of extinction is paramount. Importantly, we must consider that GCC involves the simultaneous alteration of several factors (e.g. temperature, CO2, O2) which may differently impact the various developmental stages of a species. As most studies to date have looked at the plastic responses to short-term exposure to single stressors of a single stage of development of single species within a single generation, our current knowledge in this area limits our capacity to produce accurate and reliable predictions. Most importantly, understanding the mechanisms by which species can be rescued from extinction is essential to inform policy makers and managers in making decisions regarding the preservation of local and global diversity, the sustainable usage of natural resources and the socio-economic adaptation of communities and entire countries. Consequently, to help overcoming the paucity of relevant information in this research area, whilst addressing some fundamental questions in physiological diversity, I will characterise organisms scope for transgenerational plasticity (e.g. the protection offsprings obtained from parents being exposed to a stressor) and their capacity for rapid adaptation to multiple simultaneous climate drivers.****The aim of my project is that to answer the following fundamental questions: (i) can transgenerational plasticity prevent species extinction during GCC? (ii) can adaptation to GCC occur rapidly enough to rescue species from extinction? (iii) are rare species less capable for plastic and adaptive responses under GCCwhen compared to their common relatives? (iv) are more complex species less capable for plastic and adaptive responses under GCC when compared to less complex ones (i.e. protists vs. basal multicellular spp vs. complex multicellular spp)? (v) what is the fate of global biodiversity in the face of GCC?****I propose to utilise a quantitative genetic approach with laboratory selection experiments and clonal lines with different combinations of temperature, CO2 and O2 using a quantitative genetic approach. Stage-specific physiological (e.g. metabolic rate, thermal limits) and life-history traits (survival, growth, fecundity) will be measured at each generation or within clonal lines to determine the direction and intensity of plastic and adaptive responses to answer questions (i-iv). Finally complementary modelling approaches will be used to provide a much-needed synthesis and enable us to produce generalisation and broad, but accurate, predictions on the fate of biodiversity globally (v).**