Dr. Christopher H. Taylor — O'Connell Research Group

Mammals vary in their ability to tolerate heat stress. Reproduction is especially sensitive — just a few days of elevated temperatures around the time of implantation can significantly impact fertility. Are there common molecular mechanisms used by heat tolerant mammals to protect themselves from heat stress?

Research Overview

Chris makes use of existing variation in heat tolerance across extant mammals as a natural experiment, using comparative genomics to look for common genetic features that have repeatedly evolved in heat tolerant species. Using branch-site models of selective pressure variation, he has identified gene families that have undergone convergent positive selection in heat tolerant mammals but not in other lineages. Some of these genes also show upregulation during acute heat stress in pregnant pigs, suggesting a conserved role in the heat stress response.

Climate Change & Reproductive Vulnerability

A key aim of this work is to explore whether these molecular markers can be used to predict an individual or population's susceptibility to the impacts of climate change. As global temperatures rise, understanding the molecular limits of mammalian heat tolerance has direct relevance for conservation biology, wildlife management, and agricultural livestock production.

Mammal phylogenetic tree showing maximum habitat temperatures and heat tolerance

Figure: Mammal phylogenetic tree showing maximum temperatures (warmest month) to which each species is exposed within its habitat range. Asterisks indicate species with a maximum temperature above 30°C, classed as heat tolerant. Colours at internal nodes show estimated reconstructions of ancestral states.

Funding: This work is funded as part of the Wellcome Trust award to Professors Niamh Forde, Mary O'Connell, Kevin Sinclair, Ramiro Albeiro and David Gardener: "Mitigating against life-course complications of heat stress" — 227178/Z/23/Z.