‘Can animal populations adapt to climate change by becoming genetically similar to more southerly populations?’ That is the question posed by ecologist Natalie van Dis. Knowledge about this could indicate which populations are most at risk from the changing climate. She has been awarded a Veni grant from NWO to investigate this at NIOO over the next three years.

Small aquatic organisms called rotifers have been found to also become tolerant to copper pollution after adapting to rising temperatures. Interestingly, the reverse is not true. An evolutionary experiment led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) shows this today in the journal Global Change Biology. ‘Understanding such long-term hereditary consequences of stress is crucial for informed environmental management and nature restoration.’