Anthropogenic activities are driving a dramatic acceleration in the rate of global climate change. A plethora of studies have suggested that the resulting climatic anomalies will convey severe consequences for oceans worldwide, especially for sessile and poikilotherm organisms. Furthermore, there is evidence that an increase in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 will cause severe disruptions in key processes including calcification, larval development, and predator-prey interactions, among others. While the potential impacts of global climate change have started to be addressed in model and non-model organisms, there is still a gap in our knowledge as to how organisms’ capacity to adapt and acclimate to future ocean conditions participate in this process.
Understanding the responses of marine organisms to environmental shifts is imperative in order to understand their fate on a changing planet. The capacity for individuals and populations to shift through phenotypic plasticity and adaptation, as well as the underlying mechanisms of these processes is of critical interest at present. Further, the advances in genomics and epigenomics techniques are helping to unveil the molecular mechanisms of rapid evolution/phenotypic plasticity to the adaptive response of marine species to changing environments.
This Research Topic aims to not only contribute novel data and research, but also robust experimental designs and innovative theories that might drive future research addressing acclimatization, adaptation and population evolution.
Anthropogenic activities are driving a dramatic acceleration in the rate of global climate change. A plethora of studies have suggested that the resulting climatic anomalies will convey severe consequences for oceans worldwide, especially for sessile and poikilotherm organisms. Furthermore, there is evidence that an increase in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 will cause severe disruptions in key processes including calcification, larval development, and predator-prey interactions, among others. While the potential impacts of global climate change have started to be addressed in model and non-model organisms, there is still a gap in our knowledge as to how organisms’ capacity to adapt and acclimate to future ocean conditions participate in this process.
Understanding the responses of marine organisms to environmental shifts is imperative in order to understand their fate on a changing planet. The capacity for individuals and populations to shift through phenotypic plasticity and adaptation, as well as the underlying mechanisms of these processes is of critical interest at present. Further, the advances in genomics and epigenomics techniques are helping to unveil the molecular mechanisms of rapid evolution/phenotypic plasticity to the adaptive response of marine species to changing environments.
This Research Topic aims to not only contribute novel data and research, but also robust experimental designs and innovative theories that might drive future research addressing acclimatization, adaptation and population evolution.
