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As climate change continues, species pushed outside their physiological tolerance limits must adapt or face extinction. When change is rapid, adaptation will largely harness ancestral variation, making the availability and characteristics of that variation of critical importance. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing and genetic-environment association analyses to identify adaptive variation and its significance in the context of future climates in a small Palearctic mammal, the bank vole ( Clethrionomys glareolus ). We found that peripheral populations of bank vole in Britain are already at the extreme bounds of potential genetic adaptation and may require an influx of adaptive variation in order to respond. Analyses of adaptive loci suggest regional differences in climate variables select for variants that influence patterns of population adaptive resilience, including genes associated with antioxidant defense, and support a pattern of thermal/hypoxic cross-adaptation. Our findings indicate that understanding potential shifts in genomic composition in response to climate change may be key to predicting species’ fate under future climates. A species’ response to anthropogenic climate change may depend on its adaptations to past climate changes. Here, the authors use whole-genome resequencing and genetic-environment association to identify genes important for local adaptation and project adaptation under future climate scenarios across bank vole populations in Britain.

Species‐level environmental niche modeling has been crucial in efforts to understand how species respond to climate variation and change. However, species often exhibit local adaptation and intraspecific niche differences that may be important to consider in predicting responses to climate. Here, we explore whether phylogeographic lineages of the bank vole originating from different glacial refugia (Carpathian, Western, Eastern, and Southern) show niche differentiation, which would suggest a role for local adaptation in biogeography of this widespread Eurasian small mammal. We first model the environmental requirements for the bank vole using species‐wide occurrences (210 filtered records) and then model each lineage separately to examine niche overlap and test for niche differentiation in geographic and environmental space. We then use the models to estimate past [Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and mid‐Holocene] habitat suitability to compare with previously hypothesized glacial refugia for this species. Environmental niches are statistically significantly different from each other for all pairs of lineages in geographic and environmental space, and these differences cannot be explained by habitat availability within their respective ranges. Together with the inability of most of the lineages to correctly predict the distributions of other lineages, these results support intraspecific ecological differentiation in the bank vole. Model projections of habitat suitability during the LGM support glacial survival of the bank vole in the Mediterranean region and in central and western Europe. Niche differences between lineages and the resulting spatial segregation of habitat suitability suggest ecological differentiation has played a role in determining the present phylogeographic patterns in the bank vole. Our study illustrates that models pooling lineages within a species may obscure the potential for different responses to climate change among populations. We explore whether phylogeographic lineages of the bank vole originating from different glacial refugia show environmental niche differentiation. We found that niches were significantly different between all pairs of lineages in geographic and environmental space and these differences cannot be explained by habitat availability within their respective ranges, suggesting that ecological differentiation has played a role in determining the present phylogeographic patterns in the bank vole.

Understanding the historical contributions of differing glacial refugia is key to evaluating the roles of microevolutionary forces, such as isolation, introgression, and selection in shaping genomic diversity in present‐day populations. In Europe, where both Mediterranean and extra‐Mediterranean (e.g., Carpathian) refugia of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) have been identified, mtDNA indicates that extra‐Mediterranean refugia were the main source of colonization across the species range, while Mediterranean peninsulas harbor isolated, endemic lineages. Here, we critically evaluate this hypothesis using previously generated genomic data (>6,000 SNPs) for over 800 voles, focusing on genomic contributions to bank voles in central Europe, a key geographic area in considering range‐wide colonization. The results provide clear evidence that both extra‐Mediterranean (Carpathian) and Mediterranean (Spanish, Calabrian, and Balkan) refugia contributed to the ancestry and genomic diversity of bank vole populations across Europe. Few strong barriers to dispersal and frequent admixture events in central Europe have led to a prominent mid‐latitude peak in genomic diversity. Although the genomic contribution of the centrally located Carpathian refugium predominates, populations in different parts of Europe have admixed origins from Mediterranean (28%–47%) and the Carpathian (53%–72%) sources. We suggest that the admixture from Mediterranean refugia may have provisioned adaptive southern alleles to more northern populations, facilitating the end‐glacial spread of the admixed populations and contributing to increased bank vole diversity in central Europe. This study adds critical details to the complex end‐glacial colonization history of this well‐studied organism and underscores the importance of genomic data in phylogeographic interpretation. Previous mtDNA studies indicated that extra‐Mediterranean refugia provided most of the genetic contributions in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) across its range, while Mediterranean peninsulas harbor isolated, endemic lineages. By analyzing an existing SNP dataset for more than 800 bank voles, we found striking evidence that both extra‐Mediterranean (Carpathian) and Mediterranean (Spanish, Calabrian, and Balkan) refugia contributed to the ancestry and genomic diversity of populations across Europe. We suggest that the admixture from Mediterranean refugia may have facilitated the end‐glacial spread of the admixed populations, contributing to increased bank vole diversity in central Europe.

The Iberian desman ( Galemys pyrenaicus ), a semiaquatic mammal endemic to southwestern Europe, is listed as Endangered by the IUCN due to substantial range and population decline in recent years, with its populations now largely limited to river headwaters. This restriction to upstream locations highlights the importance of documenting genetic variation and population connectivity in Iberian desmans for effective conservation strategies. While previous studies have revealed phylogeographic structure across the range of the species, gaps remain in our understanding of the microgeographic dynamics that shape genetic exchange within specific geographic regions. This study first combined our newly generated SNP data with previous datasets to further explore genetic structure across the entire Iberian desman distribution using the 115 individuals now available. Due to differences in methodology between our study and previous studies, only 110 SNPs were available for comparison across all individuals. Nevertheless, the analysis with these SNPs confirmed the presence of the five major phylogeographic units previously described and validated the assignment of our newly generated dataset to the Occidental phylogeographic unit. Focusing on our newly generated data, we explored the microgeographic dynamics of this Occidental phylogeographic unit with a higher-resolution genomic dataset (7,604 SNPs, 14 individuals). This analysis provided evidence of isolation-by-distance (IBD), suggesting that gene flow decreases with increasing geographic distance and that dispersal occurs primarily over short distances. Focussing on the Douro river system, our genomic clustering results showed both connectivity along the best-sampled river (Sabor) and between headwaters of this and headwaters from a closely located river (Tua). Our IBD results were consistent with this, indicating riverine dispersal as well as a combination of riverine and overland dispersal at headwaters. These results highlight the importance of both aquatic and terrestrial corridors in upstream areas for maintaining connectivity. Thus, conservation efforts should prioritize the protection and restoration of riparian and terrestrial corridors, particularly in fragmented landscapes, to mitigate isolation and preserve genetic diversity in the Iberian desman. This study underscores the value of genomic approaches in conservation and contributes to a deeper understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes that maintain population connectivity in an endangered species.

Genetic admixture introduces new variants at relatively high frequencies, potentially aiding rapid responses to environmental changes. Here, we evaluate its role in adaptive variation related to climatic conditions in bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus ) in Britain, using whole-genome data. Our results reveal loci showing excess ancestry from one of the two postglacial colonist populations inconsistent with overall admixture patterns. Notably, loci associated with climate adaptation exhibit disproportionate amounts of excess ancestry, highlighting the impact of admixture between colonist populations on local adaptation. The results suggest strong and localized selection on climate-adaptive loci, as indicated by steep clines and/or shifted cline centres, during population replacement. A subset, including a haemoglobin gene, is associated with oxidative stress responses, underscoring a role of oxidative stress in local adaptation. Our study highlights the important contribution of admixture during secondary contact between populations from distinct climatic refugia enriching adaptive diversity. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting future adaptive capacity to anthropogenic climate change. Genetic mixing among distinct bank vole populations in Britain has enhanced their adaptive diversity for climate adaptation, highlighting the importance of admixture in responding to environmental change.

Back pain is one of the most costly disorders among the worldwide working population. Within that population, healthcare workers are at a high risk of back pain. Though they often demonstrate awkward postures and impaired balance in comparison with healthy workers, there is no clear relationship between compensatory postural responses to unpredictable stimuli and the strength of related muscle groups, in particular in individuals with mild to moderate back pain. This paper presents a study protocol that aims to evaluate the relationship between peak anterior to peak posterior displacements of the center of pressure (CoP) and corresponding time from peak anterior to peak posterior displacements of the CoP after sudden external perturbations and peak force during a maximum voluntary isometric contraction of the back and hamstring muscles in physiotherapists with non-specific back pain in its early stages. Participants will complete the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire. Those that rate their back pain on the 0–10 Low Back Pain Scale in the ranges 1–3 (mild pain) and 4–6 (moderate pain) will be considered. They will undergo a perturbation-based balance test and a test of the maximal isometric strength of back muscles and hip extensors. We assume that by adding tests of reactive balance and strength of related muscle groups in the functional testing of physiotherapists, we would be able to identify back problems earlier and more efficiently and therefore address them well before chronic back disorders occur.