Jess M'Baya
PhD Candidate

Bio21 Intitute
Melbourne University
Parkville Vic 3052

Tel: +613 8344 2314
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 An integrated assessment of the impacts of climate change on Victorian Alpine ecosystems: adaptation of Carex species to climate change

 Victorian Alpine ecosystems are rare and restricted. 60% of the vegetation is endemic, which makes the alpine regions of prime importance for landscape conservation. Alpine ecosystems are also particularly threatened by climate change. The Bogong High Plains hosts  one site of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). This experiment aims to evaluate the effect of climate change on cold climate ecosystems in Arctic and Alpine regions by using open top chambers (OTCs), which simulate the future warming expected under current climate change scenarios.

I am studying two Carex species (sedges) populations found in the Bogong High Plains, Carex hebes and C.breviculmis  to try to answer these questions: Can Carex species adapt to environmental changes, and if so, how? Is there any evidence for adaptation after 4-5 seasons in the OTC? Which genotypes are under selection? Can these genotypes be identified from genome scans? Is it possible to predict if plants will adapt to climate changes? My project uses a combination of molecular work (genome scans with AFLP and microsatellites markers) and quantitative work (measures of altitudinal variation in plant morphology, reciprocal transplant experiments, measures of heritability…).