Italy is among the European countries with the largest number of endemic species. Endemic amphibians and stenoendemic cave invertebrates will be used as models, because of their vulnerability to climatic and habitat changes, and because they are particularly suitable for both modelling and genetic analyses.The aims of the project are:1) measuring genetic diversity in representative amphibian and endemic subterranean invertebrate species using genetic markers covering the whole genome (e.g. rad-SEQ). 2) linking genetic variation with present-day environmental variation (e.g. along climatic gradients). This allows to identify local adaptations that are expected to better persist under climate change scenarios.3) integrating information on intra-specific variation with species distribution models (SDM). Integrating information on intra-specific diversity into SDM will improve our understanding and prediction of the impact of environmental changes on biodiversity. The improved models will consider the role of genetic diversity on species tolerance, and will also take into account the possibility of evolutionary adaptations of populations.This project will produce unprecedented information on the response of endemic species to fast environmental changes.

The candidate should possess a background on evolutionary and ecological thematics and a general knowledge of molecular sciences basis. A certain knowledge of amphibian biology and on subterranean biology could be useful, but it is not mandatory. English language is recommended

The teams involves multiple qualified scientists from researcher with strong zoological and managerial background to postdoc researchers with strong expertise in molecular sciences and modelling