A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA

Kurt H. Kjær; Mikkel Winther Pedersen; Bianca De Sanctis; Binia De Cahsan; Thorfinn S. Korneliussen; Christian S. Michelsen; Karina K. Sand; Stanislav Jelavić; Anthony H. Ruter; Astrid M. A. Schmidt; Kristian K. Kjeldsen; Alexey S. Tesakov; Ian Snowball; John C. Gosse; Inger G. Alsos; Yucheng Wang; Christoph Dockter; Magnus Rasmussen; Morten E. Jørgensen; Birgitte Skadhauge; Ana Prohaska; Jeppe Å. Kristensen; Morten Bjerager; Morten E. Allentoft; Eric Coissac; Alexandra Rouillard; Alexandra Simakova; Antonio Fernandez-Guerra; Chris Bowler; Marc Macias-Fauria; Lasse Vinner; John J. Welch; Alan J. Hidy; Martin Sikora; Matthew J. Collins; Richard Durbin; Nicolaj K. Larsen; Eske Willerslev; PhyloNorway Consortium

doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA

Kurt H. Kjær, Mikkel Winther Pedersen, Bianca De Sanctis, Binia De Cahsan, Thorfinn S. Korneliussen, Christian S. Michelsen, Karina K. Sand, Stanislav Jelavić, Anthony H. Ruter, Astrid M. A. Schmidt, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Alexey S. Tesakov, Ian Snowball, John C. Gosse, Inger G. Alsos, Yucheng Wang, Christoph Dockter, Magnus Rasmussen, Morten E. Jørgensen, Birgitte SkadhaugeAna Prohaska, Jeppe Å. Kristensen, Morten Bjerager, Morten E. Allentoft, Eric Coissac, Alexandra Rouillard, Alexandra Simakova, Antonio Fernandez-Guerra, Chris Bowler, Marc Macias-Fauria, Lasse Vinner, John J. Welch, Alan J. Hidy, Martin Sikora, Matthew J. Collins, Richard Durbin, Nicolaj K. Larsen, Eske Willerslev, PhyloNorway Consortium

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

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Abstract

Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene epochs 3.6 to 0.8 million years ago1 had climates resembling those forecasted under future warming2. Palaeoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with mean annual temperatures of 11-19 °C above contemporary values3,4. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic during this time remain poorly known because fossils are rare5. Here we report an ancient environmental DNA6 (eDNA) record describing the rich plant and animal assemblages of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland, dated to around two million years ago. The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue. The survival of such ancient eDNA probably relates to its binding to mineral surfaces. Our findings open new areas of genetic research, demonstrating that it is possible to track the ecology and evolution of biological communities from two million years ago using ancient eDNA.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Nature
Vol/bind	612
Udgave nummer	7939
Sider (fra-til)	283-291
Antal sider	9
ISSN	0028-0836
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y
Status	Udgivet - 2022

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10.1038/s41586-022-05453-yLicens: CC BY

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Kjær, K. H., Pedersen, M. W., De Sanctis, B., De Cahsan, B., Korneliussen, T. S., Michelsen, C. S., Sand, K. K., Jelavić, S., Ruter, A. H., Schmidt, A. M. A., Kjeldsen, K. K., Tesakov, A. S., Snowball, I., Gosse, J. C., Alsos, I. G., Wang, Y., Dockter, C., Rasmussen, M., Jørgensen, M. E., ... PhyloNorway Consortium (2022). A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA. Nature, 612(7939), 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA. / Kjær, Kurt H.; Pedersen, Mikkel Winther; De Sanctis, Bianca; De Cahsan, Binia ; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S.; Michelsen, Christian S.; Sand, Karina K.; Jelavić, Stanislav ; Ruter, Anthony H.; Schmidt, Astrid M. A.; Kjeldsen, Kristian K.; Tesakov, Alexey S.; Snowball, Ian; Gosse, John C.; Alsos, Inger G.; Wang, Yucheng; Dockter, Christoph; Rasmussen, Magnus; Jørgensen, Morten E.; Skadhauge, Birgitte; Prohaska, Ana; Kristensen, Jeppe Å.; Bjerager, Morten; Allentoft, Morten E.; Coissac, Eric; Rouillard, Alexandra; Simakova, Alexandra; Fernandez-Guerra, Antonio; Bowler, Chris; Macias-Fauria, Marc; Vinner, Lasse; Welch, John J.; Hidy, Alan J.; Sikora, Martin ; Collins, Matthew J.; Durbin, Richard; Larsen, Nicolaj K.; Willerslev, Eske; PhyloNorway Consortium.

I: Nature, Bind 612, Nr. 7939, 2022, s. 283-291.

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Kjær, KH , Pedersen, MW, De Sanctis, B, De Cahsan, B , Korneliussen, TS, Michelsen, CS, Sand, KK , Jelavić, S , Ruter, AH, Schmidt, AMA, Kjeldsen, KK, Tesakov, AS, Snowball, I, Gosse, JC, Alsos, IG, Wang, Y, Dockter, C, Rasmussen, M, Jørgensen, ME, Skadhauge, B, Prohaska, A, Kristensen, JÅ, Bjerager, M, Allentoft, ME, Coissac, E, Rouillard, A, Simakova, A, Fernandez-Guerra, A, Bowler, C, Macias-Fauria, M, Vinner, L, Welch, JJ, Hidy, AJ, Sikora, M , Collins, MJ, Durbin, R, Larsen, NK , Willerslev, E & PhyloNorway Consortium 2022, 'A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA', Nature, bind 612, nr. 7939, s. 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

Kjær, Kurt H. ; Pedersen, Mikkel Winther ; De Sanctis, Bianca ; De Cahsan, Binia ; Korneliussen, Thorfinn S. ; Michelsen, Christian S. ; Sand, Karina K. ; Jelavić, Stanislav ; Ruter, Anthony H. ; Schmidt, Astrid M. A. ; Kjeldsen, Kristian K. ; Tesakov, Alexey S. ; Snowball, Ian ; Gosse, John C. ; Alsos, Inger G. ; Wang, Yucheng ; Dockter, Christoph ; Rasmussen, Magnus ; Jørgensen, Morten E. ; Skadhauge, Birgitte ; Prohaska, Ana ; Kristensen, Jeppe Å. ; Bjerager, Morten ; Allentoft, Morten E. ; Coissac, Eric ; Rouillard, Alexandra ; Simakova, Alexandra ; Fernandez-Guerra, Antonio ; Bowler, Chris ; Macias-Fauria, Marc ; Vinner, Lasse ; Welch, John J. ; Hidy, Alan J. ; Sikora, Martin ; Collins, Matthew J. ; Durbin, Richard ; Larsen, Nicolaj K. ; Willerslev, Eske ; PhyloNorway Consortium. / A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA. I: Nature. 2022 ; Bind 612, Nr. 7939. s. 283-291.

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title = "A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA",

abstract = "Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene epochs 3.6 to 0.8 million years ago1 had climates resembling those forecasted under future warming2. Palaeoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with mean annual temperatures of 11-19 °C above contemporary values3,4. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic during this time remain poorly known because fossils are rare5. Here we report an ancient environmental DNA6 (eDNA) record describing the rich plant and animal assemblages of the Kap K{\o}benhavn Formation in North Greenland, dated to around two million years ago. The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue. The survival of such ancient eDNA probably relates to its binding to mineral surfaces. Our findings open new areas of genetic research, demonstrating that it is possible to track the ecology and evolution of biological communities from two million years ago using ancient eDNA.",

author = "Kj{\ae}r, {Kurt H.} and Pedersen, {Mikkel Winther} and {De Sanctis}, Bianca and {De Cahsan}, Binia and Korneliussen, {Thorfinn S.} and Michelsen, {Christian S.} and Sand, {Karina K.} and Stanislav Jelavi{\'c} and Ruter, {Anthony H.} and Schmidt, {Astrid M. A.} and Kjeldsen, {Kristian K.} and Tesakov, {Alexey S.} and Ian Snowball and Gosse, {John C.} and Alsos, {Inger G.} and Yucheng Wang and Christoph Dockter and Magnus Rasmussen and J{\o}rgensen, {Morten E.} and Birgitte Skadhauge and Ana Prohaska and Kristensen, {Jeppe {\AA}.} and Morten Bjerager and Allentoft, {Morten E.} and Eric Coissac and Alexandra Rouillard and Alexandra Simakova and Antonio Fernandez-Guerra and Chris Bowler and Marc Macias-Fauria and Lasse Vinner and Welch, {John J.} and Hidy, {Alan J.} and Martin Sikora and Collins, {Matthew J.} and Richard Durbin and Larsen, {Nicolaj K.} and Eske Willerslev and {PhyloNorway Consortium}",

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doi = "10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y",

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T1 - A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

AU - Pedersen, Mikkel Winther

AU - De Sanctis, Bianca

AU - De Cahsan, Binia

AU - Korneliussen, Thorfinn S.

AU - Michelsen, Christian S.

AU - Sand, Karina K.

AU - Jelavić, Stanislav

AU - Ruter, Anthony H.

AU - Schmidt, Astrid M. A.

AU - Kjeldsen, Kristian K.

AU - Tesakov, Alexey S.

AU - Snowball, Ian

AU - Gosse, John C.

AU - Alsos, Inger G.

AU - Wang, Yucheng

AU - Dockter, Christoph

AU - Rasmussen, Magnus

AU - Jørgensen, Morten E.

AU - Skadhauge, Birgitte

AU - Prohaska, Ana

AU - Kristensen, Jeppe Å.

AU - Bjerager, Morten

AU - Allentoft, Morten E.

AU - Coissac, Eric

AU - Rouillard, Alexandra

AU - Simakova, Alexandra

AU - Fernandez-Guerra, Antonio

AU - Bowler, Chris

AU - Macias-Fauria, Marc

AU - Vinner, Lasse

AU - Welch, John J.

AU - Hidy, Alan J.

AU - Sikora, Martin

AU - Collins, Matthew J.

AU - Durbin, Richard

AU - Larsen, Nicolaj K.

AU - Willerslev, Eske

AU - PhyloNorway Consortium

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene epochs 3.6 to 0.8 million years ago1 had climates resembling those forecasted under future warming2. Palaeoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with mean annual temperatures of 11-19 °C above contemporary values3,4. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic during this time remain poorly known because fossils are rare5. Here we report an ancient environmental DNA6 (eDNA) record describing the rich plant and animal assemblages of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland, dated to around two million years ago. The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue. The survival of such ancient eDNA probably relates to its binding to mineral surfaces. Our findings open new areas of genetic research, demonstrating that it is possible to track the ecology and evolution of biological communities from two million years ago using ancient eDNA.

AB - Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene epochs 3.6 to 0.8 million years ago1 had climates resembling those forecasted under future warming2. Palaeoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with mean annual temperatures of 11-19 °C above contemporary values3,4. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic during this time remain poorly known because fossils are rare5. Here we report an ancient environmental DNA6 (eDNA) record describing the rich plant and animal assemblages of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland, dated to around two million years ago. The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue. The survival of such ancient eDNA probably relates to its binding to mineral surfaces. Our findings open new areas of genetic research, demonstrating that it is possible to track the ecology and evolution of biological communities from two million years ago using ancient eDNA.

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

DO - 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36477129

VL - 612

SP - 283

EP - 291

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

SN - 0028-0836

IS - 7939

ER -