Assessing Climate Adaptation Among Canada Lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) Populations at the Trailing Edge

ABSTRACT

Species must acclimate, shift their distribution, or adapt in place in response to anthropogenic climate change. Populations at the low‐latitude trailing edge of the species distribution typically experience thermal conditions closest to the upper limit of their thermoregulatory capacity. Landscape and functional genomic approaches provide quantitative measures of risk and adaptive capacity which can inform and prioritise conservation actions. Using low‐coverage whole genomes from Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), we characterised population genomic structure and identified putatively adaptive loci using genotype‐environment association analyses across the eastern extent of their distribution. We detected genetic breaks across two previously identified biogeographical barriers, the St. Lawrence River and the Strait of Belle Isle, and found relatively high genome‐wide diversity in the Maine population at the southern trailing edge. We identified 759 loci from 329 genes as putatively adaptive, many associated with temperature during warm and dry periods, and functionally enriched in photoreception, circadian entrainment, and temperature regulation. We identified 10 putatively adaptive genes linked to epilepsy, presenting candidate genes underlying reports of idiopathic epilepsy in captive populations of closely related lynx species ( L. lynx and L. pardinus ). Standing variation in putatively adaptive loci was relatively low in Maine, suggesting that currently advantageous alleles may be fixed. Genomic offset showed lynx in Western Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec are at the greatest risk of maladaptation under future conditions. Together, these findings highlight the conservation importance of range‐edge populations as reservoirs of unique adaptive variation, while also emphasizing their potential vulnerability under continued climate change.