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Vilken ny kunskap ger aDNA-analyser om vegetationsutvecklingen i Nordeuropa under och efter Weichsel-istiden?

Cordes, Beatrix LU (2023) In Examensarbeten i geologi GEOL01 20211
Department of Geology
Abstract (Swedish)
Under de senaste 30 åren har en ny metod för att få information om tidigare ekosystem utveck- lats, nämligen att analysera gammalt (“ancient”) DNA (aDNA). Denna forskningsgren är fortfarande ung men har redan hittat många områden inom vilka den kan tillämpas. Inom paleoekologin finns det två huvudsakliga ändamål med aDNA-analyser; att kartlägga en arts hela genom, samt att bestämma antal taxa och vilka taxa som finns beva- rade som aDNA i prover från olika typer av sediment. Beroende på ändamålet, skiljer sig analysmetoderna något. Genom att analysera växters aDNA i sjösediment har det gjorts nya upptäckter om vilka växtarter som fanns, till exempel under den kallaste delen av den senaste istiden (LGM) i norra Europa. Genom att analysera... (More)
Under de senaste 30 åren har en ny metod för att få information om tidigare ekosystem utveck- lats, nämligen att analysera gammalt (“ancient”) DNA (aDNA). Denna forskningsgren är fortfarande ung men har redan hittat många områden inom vilka den kan tillämpas. Inom paleoekologin finns det två huvudsakliga ändamål med aDNA-analyser; att kartlägga en arts hela genom, samt att bestämma antal taxa och vilka taxa som finns beva- rade som aDNA i prover från olika typer av sediment. Beroende på ändamålet, skiljer sig analysmetoderna något. Genom att analysera växters aDNA i sjösediment har det gjorts nya upptäckter om vilka växtarter som fanns, till exempel under den kallaste delen av den senaste istiden (LGM) i norra Europa. Genom att analysera fyra artiklar som behandlar studier av aDNA hämtat från sjösediment, har jag sett närmare på hur studier av aDNA har bidragit till förståelsen för vegetationsutvecklingen i Nordeuropa. Generellt i de fyra studierna kan aDNA-analyser inte identifiera lika många taxa som pollenanalys kan, men i stället är metoden bättre på att identifiera arter snarare än bara släkten och familjer (högre taxonomisk upplösning). Dessutom kan aDNA-analys generellt identifiera fler taxa än makrofossilanalys. Dessa förhållanden är dock beroende av tafonomiska processer. Studier av aDNA har gett oss nya insikter om vilka växter som fanns i Nordeuropa under LGM, den senglaciala perioden och efter den senaste istiden (Weichsel). Med aDNA-analys har det identifierats nya taxa inom följande växtgrupper: vattenväxter, mossor, träd och buskar samt alger. Dessa nya upptäckter har visat att deglaciationen och klimatet i de områden som fungerade som nordliga växtrefugier under LGM var mer komplex än man tidigare trott och att ytterligare studier krävs för att få en djupare förståelse av hur vegetationen förändrades i Nordeuropa under och efter Weichsel-istiden. (Less)
Abstract
During the last 30 years a new method for obtaining information about past ecosystems has been devel- oped, namely to analyse old (“ancient”) DNA (aDNA). This research field is still young but has already found many areas within which it can be applied. In palaeoecology, there are two main purposes with aDNA analyses; to map the entire genome of a species, and to determine the number of taxa, and which taxa, that are preserved as aDNA in samples from different types of sediments. Depending on the purpose of the analysis, the analytical meth- ods differ slightly. By analysing plant aDNA in lake sediments there have been new discoveries about which plant species were present, for example, during the coldest part of the last glacial period... (More)
During the last 30 years a new method for obtaining information about past ecosystems has been devel- oped, namely to analyse old (“ancient”) DNA (aDNA). This research field is still young but has already found many areas within which it can be applied. In palaeoecology, there are two main purposes with aDNA analyses; to map the entire genome of a species, and to determine the number of taxa, and which taxa, that are preserved as aDNA in samples from different types of sediments. Depending on the purpose of the analysis, the analytical meth- ods differ slightly. By analysing plant aDNA in lake sediments there have been new discoveries about which plant species were present, for example, during the coldest part of the last glacial period (LGM) in Northern Europe. By analyzing four articles dealing with studies of aDNA which was gathered from lacustrine sediments, I have taken a closer look at how studies of aDNA have contributed to the understanding of the vegetation development in North- ern Europe. Generally in the four studies, aDNA analysis cannot identify as many taxa as pollen analysis can do, but instead the method is better at identifying species rather than just genera or families (higher taxonomic resolu- tion). In addition, aDNA analysis can overall identify more taxa than macrofossil analysis. These conditions are, however, dependent on taphonomic processes. Studies of aDNA have provided us with new insights into which plants were present in Northern Europe during the LGM, the late-glacial period and after the last glacial period (the Weichselian). With aDNA analysis, the following plant groups have been identified: water plants, mosses, trees and bushes, and algae. These new discoveries have shown that the deglaciation and the climate in northern refugia was more complex than previously believed and that further studies are required to reach a deeper understanding of how the vegetation changed in Northern Europe during and after the Weichselian glacial. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Cordes, Beatrix LU
supervisor
organization
course
GEOL01 20211
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
aDNA, ancient DNA, vegetationshistoria, vegetationsförändring, PCR, NGS, Nordeuropa, next generation sequencing, Weichselistiden
publication/series
Examensarbeten i geologi
report number
650
language
Swedish
id
9112959
date added to LUP
2023-03-28 16:20:14
date last changed
2023-03-28 16:20:14
@misc{9112959,
  abstract     = {{During the last 30 years a new method for obtaining information about past ecosystems has been devel- oped, namely to analyse old (“ancient”) DNA (aDNA). This research field is still young but has already found many areas within which it can be applied. In palaeoecology, there are two main purposes with aDNA analyses; to map the entire genome of a species, and to determine the number of taxa, and which taxa, that are preserved as aDNA in samples from different types of sediments. Depending on the purpose of the analysis, the analytical meth- ods differ slightly. By analysing plant aDNA in lake sediments there have been new discoveries about which plant species were present, for example, during the coldest part of the last glacial period (LGM) in Northern Europe. By analyzing four articles dealing with studies of aDNA which was gathered from lacustrine sediments, I have taken a closer look at how studies of aDNA have contributed to the understanding of the vegetation development in North- ern Europe. Generally in the four studies, aDNA analysis cannot identify as many taxa as pollen analysis can do, but instead the method is better at identifying species rather than just genera or families (higher taxonomic resolu- tion). In addition, aDNA analysis can overall identify more taxa than macrofossil analysis. These conditions are, however, dependent on taphonomic processes. Studies of aDNA have provided us with new insights into which plants were present in Northern Europe during the LGM, the late-glacial period and after the last glacial period (the Weichselian). With aDNA analysis, the following plant groups have been identified: water plants, mosses, trees and bushes, and algae. These new discoveries have shown that the deglaciation and the climate in northern refugia was more complex than previously believed and that further studies are required to reach a deeper understanding of how the vegetation changed in Northern Europe during and after the Weichselian glacial.}},
  author       = {{Cordes, Beatrix}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Examensarbeten i geologi}},
  title        = {{Vilken ny kunskap ger aDNA-analyser om vegetationsutvecklingen i Nordeuropa under och efter Weichsel-istiden?}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}