The effects of latitudinal gradients, climatic anomalies, and size-selective harvesting on the adaptive potential of an intertidal gastropod
Coastal species face multiple stressors, yet genomic responses remain understudied. Using whole‑genome sequencing of the owl limpet (Lottia gigantea), this study identifies loci under selection across environmental gradients, at the species’ poleward expansion front and between harvested and protected sites in California. Strongest signals occurred at the southern range edge, linked to sea‑surface temperature and pH. Distinct loci were associated with recent range expansion, while harvesting showed little genomic impact despite demographic benefits. Findings show that long‑term climatic variation leaves a stronger selective imprint than human harvesting, emphasizing the need to conserve climate‑related adaptive potential in coastal species.
Subject Tags
- Climate impacts
- Coastal
Abstract
Coastal organisms live in a dynamic environment where a myriad of environmental stressors, including climate change, ocean acidification and human harvesting, act on variable spatio-temporal scales. Each of these stressors may impose unique selective forces on a population, shaping a species' adaptive potential and its ability to persist under future climatic conditions. Genomic investigations of adaptive responses to environmental and anthropogenic disturbances remain rare, especially in marine systems. Here, we use whole genome sequencing data from the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea, and outlier detection methods to pinpoint signals of selection (1) across long-standing environmental gradients spanning the species' distribution, (2) at the poleward edge of the species' range where it experienced a recent expansion and (3) between sites vulnerable to or protected from human size-selective harvesting within California. Loci associated with environmental gradients across the entire range show the strongest differentiation at the southern end of the species' range, potentially driven by adaptation to sea surface temperature and pH. Additional ad-hoc outlier analyses revealed a distinct set of loci potentially under selection in the expanded range, with different functional roles than the range-wide outliers. Despite demographic models suggesting that protection from harvesting has a positive impact on the abundance of large individuals, we did not find strong signals of selection or changes in genetic diversity between sites differing in harvesting vulnerability. Our findings suggest that range-wide environmental selective signals established over longer time scales are distinct from those imposed by climatic anomalies at finer spatio-temporal scales. We found that climatic variation has a stronger selective imprint than human harvesting, and thus conservation interventions should consider prioritizing the maintenance of climate-related adaptive potential. Understanding how climatic trends and anomalies interact with anthropogenic pressures will allow us to make more informed decisions to sustain the evolutionary capacity of L. gigantea and other key coastal species.
Citation
Nielsen, E. S., Walkes, S., Sones, J. L., Fenberg, P. B., Paz‐García, D. A., Grosberg, R. K., ... & Bay, R. A. (2025). The Effects of Latitudinal Gradients, Climatic Anomalies, and Size‐Selective Harvesting on the Adaptive Potential of an Intertidal Gastropod. Evolutionary Applications, 18(9), e70159. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70159
TNC Authors
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Erica S. Nielsen
Point Conception Institute Fellow, California
The Nature Conservancy
Email: erica.nielsen@tnc.org