A 'road map' for transatlantic research cooperation in forest ecosystem genomics, to cast light on how forest trees adapt to environmental changes, will be presented to policy makers and funders/donors in Brussels on October 26^th 2011. Genomics is a discipline concerned with determining the entire DNA sequence of sets of genes or entire organisms, and with genetic mapping. The information generated is very valuable to address questions of how organisms have evolved, how they adapt to changing circumstances, and what gene products are responsible for their survival in different environmental conditions.

This strategic roadmap brought together leading scientists from Europe and North America, from a wide range of disciplines. They have jointly identified the key issues to be addressed in the coming decade to help answer important questions on how forest ecosystems in the two continents are reacting to the pressures of climate change and habitat fragmentation. To what extent do trees have the evolutionary potential to adapt? And what role can humans play in mitigating negative impacts, if forest ecosystems cannot adapt rapidly enough?

The time is ripe for this initiative, says project coordinator Dr Antoine Kremer from INRA in France. Europe and North America face similar challenges in the future evolution of their temperate forest ecosystems, with expected changes in their structure and species composition, along environmental gradients.

"We must work together. The genomic era is grounded in collaborative working. For example, the sequencing of the human genome was achieved through a large network of partners", he says.

The project is called FORESTTRAC - Forest ecosystem genomics Research: supporTing Transatlantic Cooperation - and it represents the first time such a group of scientists has come together officially to discuss transatlantic collaboration in this area. In a time of economic difficulty one of the collaboration drivers is the need to avoid duplication of effort.

In looking ahead to climate and environmental change it is important to remember that trees are the foundation species of numerous terrestrial ecosystems and as such are central to ecosystem processes and stability. Ensuring the continued health of our forests is the most important step in sustaining overall ecosystem stability, says Thomas Whitham, from the Northern Arizona University, a partner in the FORESTTRAC project.

The vision and content of the road map are focused on increasing the understanding of evolutionary processes in forest ecosystems as an adaptive response to climate change. Evolution of forest trees has been largely neglected in the context of climate change and adaptation of forests, as indicated by the contents of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, the rapid advance of genomics is now making the tools available for unveiling the adaptive mechanisms of forests at different scales, from gene level through to whole landscapes and ecosystems.

Already FoResTTraC has identified priority strategic objectives for future research:

1. Quantify how environmental change will trigger adaptive responses at different hierarchical levels (from trees to ecosystems)

2. Develop generic and global approaches to assess key adaptive responses throughout the Northern hemisphere

3. Combine historical, ecological and genetic research to enable long term predictions of adaptive responses

4. Determine how human activities can mitigate changes of tree populations due to climate change

5. Develop and integrate the necessary resources and experimental infrastructures for implementing a transatlantic research project.

Following the Brussels meeting, the road map will be presented online for feedback from the wider scientific community, policy-makers and donors. The hope is to generate greater alignment around common objectives and to develop novel funding mechanisms to pay for transatlantic research collaboration.

Notes:

View the roadmap at: http://www.foresttrac.eu/index.php/edit-roadmap-start

FoResTTraC brings together a critical mass of research expertise in ecology, genetics, genomics and evolution on both sides of the Atlantic with six leading European partners, three American and two Canadian partners.

The project’s chief focus of attention is the most ecologically and economically important forest tree families on the two continents: Salicaceae, Fagaceae and Pinaceae.

Contacts: