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 Greve Alsos; Yucheng Wang; Christoph Dockter; Magnus Rasmussen; Morten E. Jørgensen; Birgitte Skadhauge; Ana Prohaska; Jeppe Å. Kristensen; Morten Bjerager; Morten E. Allentoft; Eric Coissac; PhyloNorway Consortium; 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

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 Greve Alsos, Yucheng Wang, Christoph Dockter, Magnus Rasmussen, Morten E. Jørgensen, Birgitte SkadhaugeAna Prohaska, Jeppe Å. Kristensen, Morten Bjerager, Morten E. Allentoft, Eric Coissac, PhyloNorway Consortium, 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

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

102 Citations (Scopus)

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 values^3,4. 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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	283-291
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nature
Volume	612
Issue number	7939
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y
Publication status	Published - 8 Dec 2022

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Programme Area 5: Nature and Climate
Programme Area 3: Energy Resources

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Kjær, K. H., Winther Pedersen, M., 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., ... Willerslev, E. (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

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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 {Winther Pedersen}, Mikkel 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 Greve} 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 {PhyloNorway Consortium} 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",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s).",

year = "2022",

month = dec,

day = "8",

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

language = "English",

volume = "612",

pages = "283--291",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "0028-0836",

publisher = "Springer",

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Kjær, KH, Winther Pedersen, M, 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, PhyloNorway Consortium, 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 2022, 'A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA', Nature, vol. 612, no. 7939, pp. 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

TY - JOUR

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

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

AU - Winther Pedersen, Mikkel

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 Greve

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 - PhyloNorway Consortium

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

PY - 2022/12/8

Y1 - 2022/12/8

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.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143555976&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

DO - 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

M3 - Article

C2 - 36477129

AN - SCOPUS:85143555976

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 612

SP - 283

EP - 291

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 7939

ER -

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

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