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

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. 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 and Eske Willerslev ()
Additional contact information
Kurt H. Kjær: University of Copenhagen
Mikkel Winther Pedersen: University of Copenhagen
Bianca Sanctis: 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
Karina K. Sand: University of Copenhagen
Stanislav Jelavić: University of Copenhagen
Anthony H. Ruter: University of Copenhagen
Astrid M. A. Schmidt: Nordic Foundation for Development and Ecology (NORDECO)
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
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
Jeppe Å. Kristensen: University of Oxford
Morten Bjerager: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Morten E. Allentoft: University of Copenhagen
Eric Coissac: The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway
Alexandra Rouillard: University of Copenhagen
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
Richard Durbin: University of Cambridge
Nicolaj K. Larsen: University of Copenhagen
Eske Willerslev: University of Copenhagen

Nature, 2022, vol. 612, issue 7939, 283-291

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y

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