TY - JOUR

T1 - A comparative study of ancient environmental DNA to pollen and macrofossils from lake sediments reveals taxonomic overlap and additional plant taxa

AU - Pedersen, Mikkel Winther

AU - Ginolhac, Aurélien

AU - Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre

AU - Olsen, Jesper

AU - Andersen, Kenneth

AU - Holm, Jakob Mørkøv

AU - Funder, Svend Visby

AU - Willerslev, Eske

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

PY - 2013/9/1

Y1 - 2013/9/1

N2 - We use 2nd generation sequencing technology on sedimentary ancient DNA (. sedaDNA) from a lake in South Greenland to reconstruct the local floristic history around a low-arctic lake and compare the results with those previously obtained from pollen and macrofossils in the same lake. Thirty-eight of thirty-nine samples from the core yielded putative DNA sequences. Using a multiple assignment strategy on the trnL g-h DNA barcode, consisting of two different phylogenetic and one sequence similarity assignment approaches, thirteen families of plants were identified, of which two (. Scrophulariaceae and Asparagaceae) are absent from the pollen and macrofossil records. An age model for the sediment based on twelve radiocarbon dates establishes a chronology and shows that the lake record dates back to 10,650calyrBP. Our results suggest that sedaDNA analysis from lake sediments, although taxonomically less detailed than pollen and macrofossil analyses can be a complementary tool for establishing the composition of both terrestrial and aquatic local plant communities and a method for identifying additional taxa.

AB - We use 2nd generation sequencing technology on sedimentary ancient DNA (. sedaDNA) from a lake in South Greenland to reconstruct the local floristic history around a low-arctic lake and compare the results with those previously obtained from pollen and macrofossils in the same lake. Thirty-eight of thirty-nine samples from the core yielded putative DNA sequences. Using a multiple assignment strategy on the trnL g-h DNA barcode, consisting of two different phylogenetic and one sequence similarity assignment approaches, thirteen families of plants were identified, of which two (. Scrophulariaceae and Asparagaceae) are absent from the pollen and macrofossil records. An age model for the sediment based on twelve radiocarbon dates establishes a chronology and shows that the lake record dates back to 10,650calyrBP. Our results suggest that sedaDNA analysis from lake sediments, although taxonomically less detailed than pollen and macrofossil analyses can be a complementary tool for establishing the composition of both terrestrial and aquatic local plant communities and a method for identifying additional taxa.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880356631&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.006

DO - 10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.06.006

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84880356631

VL - 75

SP - 161

EP - 168

JO - Quaternary Science Reviews

JF - Quaternary Science Reviews

SN - 0277-3791

ER -