Department or Program

Biology

Abstract

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the world’s oceans. As climate change continues to worsen, the species that are better able to adapt and react are those that will survive these rapidly changing conditions. The intertidal Atlantic blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is an informative organism for climate change studies as they live in a harsh environment with extreme daily temperature changes. While studies have been conducted on how these mussels can be phenotypically plastic in response to changing environmental conditions, little work has been conducted on if specific subgroups of mussels have become locally adapted to warming temperatures. I hypothesized that there will be genetic differentiation of blue mussels across the Maine coast due to the strong thermal gradient and the presence of a biogeographic barrier. I used IIB-RAD sequencing of mussels collected across Maine to determine if genetic differentiation is occurring. Contrary to previous findings, I identified 2 subpopulations of blue mussels at the northern and southern borders of Maine, with high levels of genetic mixture in mid-latitude regions.

Level of Access

Open Access

First Advisor

Baumann, Justin

Second Advisor

Horton, April

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

62

Components of Thesis

1 pdf

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