Multiproxy diet analysis of the last meal of an early Holocene Yakutian bison

Abstract

General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms AbstractPollen, botanical macrofossils, chemical components and ancient DNA were studied in samples from the rumen of a frozen Yakutian bison (Bison priscus) that lived ca. 10,500 calendar years before present. The dialkyl glycerol ether lipid archaeol (2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol) was detected and is interpreted to have been derived from methanogenic Archaea in the rumen. This is the oldest reported occurrence of archaeol attributed to digestive tract Archaea. Remains of shrubs (Alnus, Betula, Salix) and Poaceae indicate that the animal probably lived in a landscape of predominantly dry soils, intermixed with wetlands containing herbaceous plant species as indicated by remains of Comarum palustre, Caltha palustris, Eriophorum, Sparganium, Menyanthes trifoliata and Utricularia. All recorded taxa still occur in the present day Yakutian tundra vegetation. We discuss the representativeness in space and time of the methods used. Both the botanical microfossil and macrofossil records may be biased because of differences in pollen production and dispersal between species, the food choice of the bison, and the season of death of the animal. Similarities and differences are discussed to highlight pitfalls of the individual analytical techniques. We highlight the power of data integration.

Molecular phylogeny of bladderworts: A wide approach of Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae) species relationships based on six plastidial and nuclear DNA sequences

“…The priors for the analyses (other than default) were: relaxed uncorrelated lognormal clock (estimated); Yule process of speciation; and a random starting tree. To this analysis, we included a rbcL partial paleosequence (137 bp) found in the rumen of a Holocene Yakutian bison (Bison priscus) that was radiocarbon dated to about 10,500 cal a BP (Van Geel et al, 2014). This estimate was not applied for molecular clock calibration as the bison age is too recent.…”

Using palaeoenvironmental DNA to reconstruct past environments: progress and prospects

“…PalEnDNA from coprolites and preserved gut contents has been used to reconstruct palaeodiets of extinct fauna, particularly woolly mammoth, bison and the moa, a large, flightless New Zealand ratite bird (van Geel et al ., , , ; Wood et al ., , , , , ). PalEnDNA from coprolites also contains information about parasite faunas, including those of extinct species.…”

“…Multidisciplinary and multiproxy approaches to Quaternary and archaeological research have been shown to improve palaeoenvironmental reconstructions (e.g. Newnham et al ., ; Birks and Birks, ; Birks et al ., ; Jørgensen et al ., ; Wood et al ., ; Parducci et al ., ; van Geel et al ., ). aDNA analyses, including PalEnDNA studies, should not be viewed as replacing more traditional techniques, such as studies of plant macrofossils and pollen, but rather as a complementary tool generating both overlapping and separate results (e.g.…”

Genome Sequencing of Ancient Plant Remains: Findings, Uses and Potential Applications for the Study and Improvement of Modern Crops

“…The geological context of lakes provides a robust archive for the retrieval of ancient plant DNA through time and reflects the effect of all environments worldwide (Willerslev, 2003 ; Bremond et al, 2017 ; Parducci et al, 2017 ). Plant residues can also be found in ancient animal and human remains such as palaeofaeces, hair, dental calculus, and gastrointestinal contents (Poinar et al, 2001 ; Rawlence et al, 2014 ; Van Geel et al, 2014 ; Weyrich et al, 2015 ).…”