Tolerance Patterns and Transcriptomic Response to Extreme and Fluctuating Salinities across Populations of the Intertidal Copepod .

AbstractPopulations that tolerate extreme environmental conditions with frequent fluctuations can give valuable insights into physiological limits and adaptation. In some estuarine and marine ecosystems, organisms must adapt to extreme and fluctuating salinities, but not much is known about how varying salinities impact local adaptation across a wide geographic range. We used eight geographically and genetically divergent populations of the intertidal copepod to test whether northern populations have greater tolerance to low salinity stresses, as they experience greater precipitation and less evaporation.