GENICA – Rescuing the untapped paleoGENomic information preserved in Ice CAves to disclose long-term genetic variability of mountain vegetation
As global temperatures rise, many alpine plant species are being forced to shift their ranges, often leading to population declines and, in some cases, local extinctions. These changes put the genetic diversity of alpine plants in danger, reducing their ability to adapt and survive in a warming world. Understanding how plant populations have responded to past environmental changes is key to forecasting their future resilience.
This project investigates long-term ecological and genetic changes in four keystone alpine and subalpine plant species across the Pyrenees, Jura Mountains, Alps, and Carpathians. We will analyze plant macrofossils—such as leaves, needles, and seeds—preserved for up to 5,700 years in mountain ice caves, which provide exceptional conditions for DNA preservation. By extracting ancient DNA and comparing it with genetic data from present-day populations, we will track changes in population size and genetic diversity over millennia. These genetic insights will be integrated with reconstructions of past vegetation and fire dynamics, based on pollen and charcoal analyses.
As these unique ice archives are rapidly disappearing due to ongoing climate change, this research is both scientifically urgent and time-sensitive. The results will support conservation efforts by identifying vulnerable species to current and future climate change.
