Genome-wide DNA methylation varies due to cold temperature acclimation and between tissue types in house sparrows

AOS Research Grant Seminar

Presenter: Chelsi Marolf, Visiting Assistant Professor, Nebraska Wesleyan University; 2025 Werner and Hildegard Hesse Research Grant winner

Animals in temperate regions are facing changing environmental conditions, including more frequent extreme weather events. Small temperate birds are highly flexible, increasing their metabolic rates during prolonged exposure to cold winter temperatures. However, the mechanisms underlying this flexibility remain incompletely understood. In this study, I assessed whole-genome DNA methylation in house sparrows exposed to warm, cold, and fluctuating cold acclimation treatments. Because DNA methylation is an epigenetic marker that can influence gene expression, I expected methylation patterns to differ between cold-exposed and warm-exposed birds.

More about the Research Grant Seminar Series