Frame
| The problems of global change may affect the biosphere at every scale, from genes to ecosystems. Yet, most of the effects may be predictable, and reliable predictions can be useful to find ways of mitigation of the effects, and of adaptation to them. In this context, finding molecular markers of early effects derived from global change may be useful as prediction tools. This is one of the aims of the Lab, which belongs to the International Laboratory on Global Change (LINC Global, from the Spanish Laboratorio Internacional en Cambio Global), a joint venture launched by the CSIC (Spain) and the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC). |
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Approach
| One of the effects of global change is desertification, which involves water stress. The idea is finding molecular markers of early signs of water stress in insects. The study of the effects of decreasing water availability in model species (Blattella, Tribolium) would lead to find suitable markers. Then the study of these markers in natural populations of other species (for exemple of tenebrionid beetles) submitted to water stress could serve to validate the markers. |
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Objectives
Among others:
- Identification of genes differentially expressed under conditions of water stress (high throughput sequencing, transcriptomes, Suppression Subtractive Hybridization Libraries).
- Study of aquaporins as candidates of water stress markers.
- Study of heat shock proteins as candidates of water stress markers.
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