Ptarmigan Ecogenomics

About the project

Ecological genomics encompasses ecology, genomics, and evolutionary biology, and utilizes genomic approaches to address consequential ecological questions. Within the frame of the recently completed comprehensive project, “Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) health and population change” spanning the years 2006-2018, a unique tissue-, and dataset have been created by an annual collection of data on this wild bird population in NE Iceland. Icelandic rock ptarmigan health parameters and tissue collection are unique, with no such comparable dataset available elsewhere. We aim to explore the impact of trophic interactions such as diversity of the gut microbial community, plant-herbivore interactions, and the role of toxins. To convey an ecogenomic approach, we have generated a high-quality annotated rock ptarmigan genome with transcriptomes to conduct comparative genomics and tissue-specific expression analysis. Our goal is to map and characterize genomic regions involved in selection/adaption and examine how genes are involved in various biological processes such as abiotic and biotic stress responses.

Keywords: Conservation genomics, Population genetics, NGS, WGS, SNP

Funded by RANNIS - Icelandic Research Fund (IRF nr. 206529-052).

Members

  • Kristinn Pétur Magnússon, Professor of molecular genetics, Faculty of Resource Sciences, University of Akureyri and specialist at Icelandic Institute of Natural History
  • Patrik Rödin-Mörch, PostDoc at UNAK (funded by IRF)
  • Thedore E. Squires, Ph.D. student at UNAK (funded by IRF)

Collaborators

Publications