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

Author

Listed:
  • Kurt H. Kjær

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Mikkel Winther Pedersen

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Bianca Sanctis

    (University of Cambridge
    University of Cambridge)

  • Binia Cahsan

    (The Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences)

  • Thorfinn S. Korneliussen

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Christian S. Michelsen

    (University of Copenhagen
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Karina K. Sand

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Stanislav Jelavić

    (University of Copenhagen
    Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Université Gustave Eiffel, ISTerre)

  • Anthony H. Ruter

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Astrid M. A. Schmidt

    (Nordic Foundation for Development and Ecology (NORDECO)
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Kristian K. Kjeldsen

    (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland)

  • Alexey S. Tesakov

    (Russian Academy of Sciences)

  • Ian Snowball

    (Uppsala University)

  • John C. Gosse

    (Dalhousie University)

  • Inger G. Alsos

    (The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway)

  • Yucheng Wang

    (University of Copenhagen
    University of Cambridge)

  • Christoph Dockter

    (Carlsberg Research Laboratory)

  • Magnus Rasmussen

    (Carlsberg Research Laboratory)

  • Morten E. Jørgensen

    (Carlsberg Research Laboratory)

  • Birgitte Skadhauge

    (Carlsberg Research Laboratory)

  • Ana Prohaska

    (University of Copenhagen
    University of Cambridge)

  • Jeppe Å. Kristensen

    (University of Oxford
    (GEUS))

  • Morten Bjerager

    (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland)

  • Morten E. Allentoft

    (University of Copenhagen
    Curtin University)

  • Eric Coissac

    (The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway
    University of Grenoble-Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA)

  • Alexandra Rouillard

    (University of Copenhagen
    UiT—The Arctic University of Norway)

  • Alexandra Simakova

    (Russian Academy of Sciences)

  • Antonio Fernandez-Guerra

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Chris Bowler

    (Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM Université PSL)

  • Marc Macias-Fauria

    (University of Oxford)

  • Lasse Vinner

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • John J. Welch

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Alan J. Hidy

    (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

  • Martin Sikora

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Matthew J. Collins

    (University of Cambridge
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Richard Durbin

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Nicolaj K. Larsen

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Eske Willerslev

    (University of Copenhagen
    University of Cambridge
    University of Bremen)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Kurt H. Kjær & Mikkel Winther Pedersen & Bianca Sanctis & Binia Cahsan & Thorfinn S. Korneliussen & Christian S. Michelsen & Karina K. Sand & Stanislav Jelavić & Anthony H. Ruter & Astrid M. A. Schmid, 2022. "A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA," Nature, Nature, vol. 612(7939), pages 283-291, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:612:y:2022:i:7939:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05453-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y
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