Ecological extinction and evolution: answers from ancient biomolecules

Informazioni relative al progetto

Evolution

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 885088

DOI

10.3030/885088

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 14 Aprile 2020

Data di avvio 1 Ottobre 2020

Data di completamento 30 Settembre 2022

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 203 852,16

Contributo UE

€ 203 852,16

Coordinato da

NATURHISTORISKA RIKSMUSEET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Evolution (Ecological extinction and evolution: answers from ancient biomolecules)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-10-01 al 2022-09-30

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Previous studies on extinct Pleistocene megafauna attempted to decipher species’ responses to environmental change through genetic studies and palaeodietary reconstruction. However, none of these studies addressed the issue of whether changes in palaeoecology represent evolutionary processes or are instead a result of environmentally induced plasticity. The present research project proposes novel ways of addressing the aforementioned question through an interdisciplinary approach including palaeogenomics, ancient epigenomics and palaeoecology. Modern genomes of Scandinavian brown bears have also been generated, which is of interest for the study of cave bear evolution, since brown bears carry a small percentage of cave bear DNA.
The produced dataset constitutes the most complete cave bear genome dataset ever analysed, allowing us to gain an unprecedented understanding of cave bear evolutionary history. Given that brown bears are sister species of cave bears, the brown bear dataset helps to understand to what extent the brown bear tracts in the cave bear’s genome have been adaptive. Specific conclusions will be drawn up that might be used as a basis for other palaeogenomic and palaeoenvironmental studies and also for extant relatives of the cave bear. Investigating the evolutionary implications leading to population differentiation during the extreme climate fluctuations of the Pleistocene provide insights into a species’ responses to environmental pressures with implications for the conservation and management of mammals.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

For cave bears, 10 cave bear ancient genomes have been generated to investigate population structure, gene flow and methylation patterns in individuals with different ecology.
For brown bears: 21 brown bear genomes have been generated, to assess temporal change in diversity and loss across time and the genetic consequences of recent bottleneck in Scandinavian brown bear.
Part of the results have been disseminated via two peer reviewed manuscripts that reached a high visibility within academia and on social platforms or via the outreach activity organised by the European Commission “Science is Wonderful!”, that took place online between 22 and 26 November 2021. During talks held for 25 classes and one talk Meet the scientist with about 100 attendants the topic of the project has been covered and the audience has been familiarised with cave bears and brown bears and why it's important to understand their evolutionary history.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

The particular strength of this project lies in its interdisciplinarity. By including palaeogenomics, ancient epigenomics and palaeoecology this project has the potential to provide entirely new insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of Late Pleistocene ecosystems, that goes beyond the current state-of-the-art. Combining cave bear and brown bear datasets will offer a comprehensive understanding of the environment’s role and impact on large mammal extinction. Moreover the results, including those related to the impact of shifting climate and bottlenecks on genetic diversity, will benefit wider society. These will be directly communicated to: 1) government, policy makers, conservation bodies in Romania and abroad and may be used in issuing future plan strategies on sustainable development and accessing structural funds for management of natural and cultural protected areas; 2) stakeholders and local communities that may use the results to promote and support local sustainable economic activity.

a day in the ancient DNA lab

cave bear skull at The Museum of Paleolithic Technology and Human Evolution, Târgoviște, Romania

sampling cave bear bones in caves