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Article Reference Ancient DNA reveals lack of postglacial habitat tracking in the arctic fox
How species respond to an increased availability of habitat, for example at the end of the last glaciation, has been well established. In contrast, little is known about the opposite process, when the amount of habitat decreases. The hypothesis of habitat tracking predicts that species should be able to track both increases and decreases in habitat availability. The alternative hypothesis is that populations outside refugia become extinct during periods of unsuitable climate. To test these hypotheses, we used ancient DNA techniques to examine genetic variation in the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) through an expansion/contraction cycle. The results show that the arctic fox in midlatitude Europe became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene and did not track the habitat when it shifted to the north. Instead, a high genetic similarity between the extant populations in Scandinavia and Siberia suggests an eastern origin for the Scandinavian population at the end of the last glaciation. These results provide new insights into how species respond to climate change, since they suggest that populations are unable to track decreases in habitat availability. This implies that arctic species may be particularly vulnerable to increases in global temperatures. © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Ancient DNA suggests modern wolves trace their origin to a Late Pleistocene expansion from Beringia
Grey wolves (Canis lupus) are one of the few large terrestrial carnivores that have maintained a wide geographical distribution across the Northern Hemisphere throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene. Recent genetic studies have suggested that, despite this continuous presence, major demographic changes occurred in wolf populations between the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and that extant wolves trace their ancestry to a single Late Pleistocene population. Both the geographical origin of this ancestral population and how it became widespread remain unknown. Here, we used a spatially and temporally explicit modelling framework to analyse a data set of 90 modern and 45 ancient mitochondrial wolf genomes from across the Northern Hemisphere, spanning the last 50,000 years. Our results suggest that contemporary wolf populations trace their ancestry to an expansion from Beringia at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, and that this process was most likely driven by Late Pleistocene ecological fluctuations that occurred across the Northern Hemisphere. This study provides direct ancient genetic evidence that long‐range migration has played an important role in the population history of a large carnivore, and provides insight into how wolves survived the wave of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation. Moreover, because Late Pleistocene grey wolves were the likely source from which all modern dogs trace their origins, the demographic history described in this study has fundamental implications for understanding the geographical origin of the dog.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Ancient RNA from Late Pleistocene permafrost and historical canids shows tissue-specific transcriptome survival
While sequencing ancient DNA (aDNA) from archaeological material is now commonplace, very few attempts to sequence ancient transcriptomes have been made, even from typically stable deposition environments such as permafrost. This is presumably due to assumptions that RNA completely degrades relatively quickly, particularly when dealing with autolytic, nuclease-rich mammalian tissues. However, given the recent successes in sequencing ancient RNA (aRNA) from various sources including plants and animals, we suspect that these assumptions may be incorrect or exaggerated. To challenge the underlying dogma, we generated shotgun RNA data from sources that might normally be dismissed for such study. Here, we present aRNA data generated from two historical wolf skins, and permafrost-preserved liver tissue of a 14,300-year-old Pleistocene canid. Not only is the latter the oldest RNA ever to be sequenced, but it also shows evidence of biologically relevant tissue specificity and close similarity to equivalent data derived from modern-day control tissue. Other hallmarks of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data such as exon-exon junction presence and high endogenous ribosomal RNA (rRNA) content confirms our data’s authenticity. By performing independent technical library replicates using two high-throughput sequencing platforms, we show not only that aRNA can survive for extended periods in mammalian tissues but also that it has potential for tissue identification. aRNA also has possible further potential, such as identifying in vivo genome activity and adaptation, when sequenced using this technology.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Inproceedings Reference Angiostrongylus chabaudi natural infection in wild caufght gastropods
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Inbook Reference Animal remains and human-animal-environment relationships at Early Neolithic Bestansur and Shimshara
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Animals for food, prestige and ritual: evidence off the bone from Hierakonpolis
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Annelids in Extreme Aquatic Environments: Diversity, Adaptations and Evolution
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Annotated type catalogue of Orthalicoidea (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Natural History Museum, London: A supplement
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Techreport Reference Annual Network Report. Period 15/04/2023-14/04/2024. Contract B2/212/P1/ OUTFLOW
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024 OA
Techreport Reference Annual Report OUTFLOW. Contract Nr. B2/212/P1/OUTFLOW. Reporting period 15/04/2022 – 14/04/2023
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023