Project description:Is is a fundamental evolutionary question which coordinated molecular changes underly adaptation generally and thermal adaptation specifically. Here we profiled the proteome of the Planarian glacial relict species Crenobia alpina. We sampled individuals from an alpine spring, acclimated groups of individuals at 8, 11, 14 and 17 °C for one week and determined their proteome. These results give insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying thermal adaptation and acclimation to cold and warm temperatures.
Project description:Thermal history plays a role in the response of corals to subsequent heat stress. Prior heat stress can have a profound impact on later thermal tolerance, but the mechanism for this plasticity is not clear. The understanding of gene expression changes behind physiological acclimatization is critical in forecasts of coral health in impending climate change scenarios. Acropora millepora fragments were preconditioned to sublethal bleaching threshold stress for a period of 10 days; this prestress conferred bleaching resistance in subsequent thermal challenge, in which non-preconditioned coral bleached. Using microarrays, we analyze the transcriptomes of the coral host, comparing the bleaching-resistant preconditioned treatment to non-preconditioned and control treatments.
