학술논문

Mitochondrial genomes of Pleistocene megafauna retrieved from recent sediment layers of two Siberian lakes
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
eLife. March 15, 2024, Vol. 12
Subject
Arctic
Russia
Language
English
ISSN
2050-084X
Abstract
Ancient environmental DNA (aeDNA) from lake sediments has yielded remarkable insights for the reconstruction of past ecosystems, including suggestions of late survival of extinct species. However, translocation and lateral inflow of DNA in sediments can potentially distort the stratigraphic signal of the DNA. Using three different approaches on two short lake sediment cores of the Yamal peninsula, West Siberia, with ages spanning only the past hundreds of years, we detect DNA and identified mitochondrial genomes of multiple mammoth and woolly rhinoceros individuals--both species that have been extinct for thousands of years on the mainland. The occurrence of clearly identifiable aeDNA of extinct Pleistocene megafauna (e.g. >400 K reads in one core) throughout these two short subsurface cores, along with specificities of sedimentology and dating, confirm that processes acting on regional scales, such as extensive permafrost thawing, can influence the aeDNA record and should be accounted for in aeDNA paleoecology.
Byline: Peter Andreas Seeber, Laura Batke, Yury Dvornikov, Alexandra Schmidt, Yi Wang, Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring, Katie Moon, Samuel H Vohr, Beth Shapiro, Laura S Epp Introduction Sedimentary deposits constitute highly valuable [...]