Investigating the Architecture of a Rapid Evolutionary Response - ERC Consolidator Grant 2019

My ERC-project is aimed at studying microevolution in real time using ecological and genomic approaches in a unique study system. However, due to the short time scale along which the project is designed for, some of its components may be deemed too risky without solid preliminary data. I plan to analyze additional preliminary data that would support specific hypotheses linked to my proposal, which will not only increase the feasibility aspect of the project, but given the potential of some of the results I plan to generate, will also enhance its novelty profile. I already have gathered the samples necessary to generate the results I need. I possess blood samples from individuals from different years of sampling (2012 to 2018) and I need to extract DNA and sequence these individuals to generate whole genome data for every year of sample. This will allow to conduct an analysis evaluating the genomic regions which have evolved since the original sampling of this study (2012). It will hence demonstrate at the whole genome scale how competition can lead to rapid genetic evolution, which I only so far had demonstrated using a modest number of loci (Saetre et al. 2017 Proceedings of the Royal Society B). To conduct these analyses in a timely manner (three months before the deadline for the ERC consolidator call on the 7th of February 2019), it will be essential to employ a bioinformatician that has a good knowledge of the study system and can assist me in extracting the data and write a manuscript that can be used as a basis for some components of the application.