Eco-evolutionary dynamics in the winter moth, Operophtera brumata: The mechanism of adaptation to changing ecological conditions due to climate change

Winter moths are rapidly adapting to a changing environment. Climate change causes oak bud bursting to advance over time, resulting in an increasing asynchrony between this critical food source for winter moth larvae and winter moth egg hatching. In response, winter moth egg development has genetically changed and responds less strongly to temperature changes. This genetic change results in a better match between egg hatching date and oak bud burst date. In my project, I aim to uncover the mechanism of adaptation underlying the observed changes in winter moth egg phenology. I will link ecological dynamics to functional genomics in the context of a changing environment using different approaches. At the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), winter moths have been sampled yearly since 1994. Using this long-term database and additional fieldwork and experiments, I will use three approaches to uncover the mechanism of adaptation in winter moths: (1) Population dynamics and genetics: has mistiming in winter moths resulted in population bottlenecks? (2) Embryology and transcriptomics: when and how during egg development does temperature act? (3) Genomics: which genomic regions have been the target of selection during adaptation to climate change?