Ancient and modern environmental DNA

Mikkel Winther Pedersen; Søren Overballe-Petersen; Luca Ermini; Clio Der Sarkissian; James Seymour Haile; Ann Micaela Hellström; Johan Spens; Philip Francis Thomsen; Kristine Bohmann; Enrico Cappellini; Ida Bærholm Schnell; Nathan Wales; Christian Carøe; Paula Campos; Astrid Mariah Zelma Schmidt; M. Thomas P. Gilbert; Anders Johannes Hansen; Ludovic Antoine Alexandre Orlando; Eske Willerslev

doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0383

Ancient and modern environmental DNA

Mikkel Winther Pedersen, Søren Overballe-Petersen, Luca Ermini, Clio Der Sarkissian, James Seymour Haile, Ann Micaela Hellström, Johan Spens, Philip Francis Thomsen, Kristine Bohmann, Enrico Cappellini, Ida Bærholm Schnell, Nathan Wales, Christian Carøe, Paula Campos, Astrid Mariah Zelma Schmidt, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Anders Johannes Hansen, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre Orlando, Eske Willerslev

148 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

DNA obtained from environmental samples such as sediments, ice or water (environmental DNA, eDNA), represents an important source of information on past and present biodiversity. It has revealed an ancient forest in Greenland, extended by several thousand years the survival dates for mainland woolly mammoth in Alaska, and pushed back the dates for spruce survival in Scandinavian ice-free refugia during the last glaciation. More recently, eDNA was used to uncover the past 50 000 years of vegetation history in the Arctic, revealing massive vegetation turnover at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, with implications for the extinction of megafauna. Furthermore, eDNA can reflect the biodiversity of extant flora and fauna, both qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing detection of rare species. As such, trace studies of plant and vertebrate DNA in the environment have revolutionized our knowledge of biogeography. However, the approach remains marred by biases related to DNA behaviour in environmental settings, incomplete reference databases and false positive results due to contamination. We provide a review of the field.

Original language	English
Article number	20130383
Journal	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume	370
Issue number	1660
Number of pages	11
ISSN	0962-8436
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0383
Publication status	Published - 19 Jan 2015

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Pedersen, M. W., Overballe-Petersen, S., Ermini, L., Der Sarkissian, C., Haile, J. S., Hellström, A. M., Spens, J., Thomsen, P. F., Bohmann, K., Cappellini, E., Schnell, I. B., Wales, N., Carøe, C., Campos, P., Schmidt, A. M. Z., Gilbert, M. T. P., Hansen, A. J., Orlando, L. A. A., & Willerslev, E. (2015). Ancient and modern environmental DNA. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 370(1660), [20130383]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0383

Pedersen, MW, Overballe-Petersen, S, Ermini, L, Der Sarkissian, C, Haile, JS, Hellström, AM, Spens, J, Thomsen, PF, Bohmann, K , Cappellini, E, Schnell, IB, Wales, N, Carøe, C, Campos, P, Schmidt, AMZ, Gilbert, MTP , Hansen, AJ, Orlando, LAA & Willerslev, E 2015, 'Ancient and modern environmental DNA', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 370, no. 1660, 20130383. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0383

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title = "Ancient and modern environmental DNA",

abstract = "DNA obtained from environmental samples such as sediments, ice or water (environmental DNA, eDNA), represents an important source of information on past and present biodiversity. It has revealed an ancient forest in Greenland, extended by several thousand years the survival dates for mainland woolly mammoth in Alaska, and pushed back the dates for spruce survival in Scandinavian ice-free refugia during the last glaciation. More recently, eDNA was used to uncover the past 50 000 years of vegetation history in the Arctic, revealing massive vegetation turnover at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, with implications for the extinction of megafauna. Furthermore, eDNA can reflect the biodiversity of extant flora and fauna, both qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing detection of rare species. As such, trace studies of plant and vertebrate DNA in the environment have revolutionized our knowledge of biogeography. However, the approach remains marred by biases related to DNA behaviour in environmental settings, incomplete reference databases and false positive results due to contamination. We provide a review of the field.",

author = "Pedersen, {Mikkel Winther} and S{\o}ren Overballe-Petersen and Luca Ermini and {Der Sarkissian}, Clio and Haile, {James Seymour} and Hellstr{\"o}m, {Ann Micaela} and Johan Spens and Thomsen, {Philip Francis} and Kristine Bohmann and Enrico Cappellini and Schnell, {Ida B{\ae}rholm} and Nathan Wales and Christian Car{\o}e and Paula Campos and Schmidt, {Astrid Mariah Zelma} and Gilbert, {M. Thomas P.} and Hansen, {Anders Johannes} and Orlando, {Ludovic Antoine Alexandre} and Eske Willerslev",

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AU - Pedersen, Mikkel Winther

AU - Overballe-Petersen, Søren

AU - Ermini, Luca

AU - Der Sarkissian, Clio

AU - Haile, James Seymour

AU - Hellström, Ann Micaela

AU - Spens, Johan

AU - Thomsen, Philip Francis

AU - Bohmann, Kristine

AU - Cappellini, Enrico

AU - Schnell, Ida Bærholm

AU - Wales, Nathan

AU - Carøe, Christian

AU - Campos, Paula

AU - Schmidt, Astrid Mariah Zelma

AU - Gilbert, M. Thomas P.

AU - Hansen, Anders Johannes

AU - Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre

AU - Willerslev, Eske

PY - 2015/1/19

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N2 - DNA obtained from environmental samples such as sediments, ice or water (environmental DNA, eDNA), represents an important source of information on past and present biodiversity. It has revealed an ancient forest in Greenland, extended by several thousand years the survival dates for mainland woolly mammoth in Alaska, and pushed back the dates for spruce survival in Scandinavian ice-free refugia during the last glaciation. More recently, eDNA was used to uncover the past 50 000 years of vegetation history in the Arctic, revealing massive vegetation turnover at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, with implications for the extinction of megafauna. Furthermore, eDNA can reflect the biodiversity of extant flora and fauna, both qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing detection of rare species. As such, trace studies of plant and vertebrate DNA in the environment have revolutionized our knowledge of biogeography. However, the approach remains marred by biases related to DNA behaviour in environmental settings, incomplete reference databases and false positive results due to contamination. We provide a review of the field.

AB - DNA obtained from environmental samples such as sediments, ice or water (environmental DNA, eDNA), represents an important source of information on past and present biodiversity. It has revealed an ancient forest in Greenland, extended by several thousand years the survival dates for mainland woolly mammoth in Alaska, and pushed back the dates for spruce survival in Scandinavian ice-free refugia during the last glaciation. More recently, eDNA was used to uncover the past 50 000 years of vegetation history in the Arctic, revealing massive vegetation turnover at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, with implications for the extinction of megafauna. Furthermore, eDNA can reflect the biodiversity of extant flora and fauna, both qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing detection of rare species. As such, trace studies of plant and vertebrate DNA in the environment have revolutionized our knowledge of biogeography. However, the approach remains marred by biases related to DNA behaviour in environmental settings, incomplete reference databases and false positive results due to contamination. We provide a review of the field.

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DO - 10.1098/rstb.2013.0383

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JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

IS - 1660

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ER -

Ancient and modern environmental DNA

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