Project description
Genetic characterisation of ancient African bovids
The recent palaeoecological characterisation of the drowned Palaeo-Agulhas Plain (PAP, South Africa) placed the subfossil collections of African bovids into significant environmental and temporal context. However, it lacks a genetic characterisation of mammals. The EU-funded PalaeoBovids project will use palaeogenomic techniques to generate ancient mitochondrial genomic data of six African bovid species connecting five time periods over the last 100 000 years. The project, hosted at the GLOBE Institute (University of Copenhagen), will use the data to investigate drivers of temporal changes in genetic diversity – the emergence of pastoralism, over-hunting by colonial settlers, recent population fragmentation, and the impacts on various feeding groups. PalaeoBovids will deepen our understanding of the impact of climate, disease and humans on species extinction.
Objective
The recent, detailed palaeoecological characterisation of a drowned ecosystem off the southern coast of Africa, known as the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain (PAP), has placed subfossil collections of African bovids from archaeological sites along this coast into meaningful environmental and temporal context. For the excellent work done to describe this palaeoecosystem, genetic characterisation of the mammals that roamed its plains is lacking, despite an abundance of subfossils available. In this Action, I will use palaeogenomics techniques to generate ancient mitochondrial genomic data of six African bovid species spanning five time periods over the past ~100,000 years, including the present. The target species represent three broad feeding guilds: grazers- Cape buffalo, long-horned buffalo (extinct) and southern reedbuck, a mixed feeder- common eland, and browsers- grey rhebok and Cape grysbok. These data will be used to investigate drivers of temporal changes in genetic diversity, such as climate change, range-size change due to the emergence and submergence of the PAP with changing sea levels, the emergence of pastoralism in human societies, over-hunting by colonial settlers, and recent population fragmentation, and whether different feeding guilds were affected discordantly. The project will be hosted by Assoc. Prof. Eline Lorenzen, a respected expert in the field of African bovid phylogeography and ancient DNA, at the GLOBE Institute at the University of Copenhagen, which houses a world-leading ancient DNA facility. This Action will improve my current scientific and transferable skills and will provide the opportunity for me to learn valuable new skills that will considerably enhance my future career prospects. In this Action, I will generate the first population-level palaeogenomic data of wildlife from southern Africa and contribute novel and valuable insights into the population dynamics of African bovids in relation to climate, humans, disease and extinction.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNA
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeologyethnoarchaeology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
1165 Kobenhavn
Denmark