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Ancient environmental DNA reveals shifts in dominant mutualisms during the late-Quaternary

Ancient environmental DNA reveals shifts in dominant mutualisms during the late-Quaternary
Ancient environmental DNA reveals shifts in dominant mutualisms during the late-Quaternary
DNA-based snapshots of ancient vegetation have shown that the composition of high-latitude plant communities changed considerably during the late Quaternary. However, parallel changes in biotic interactions remain largely uninvestigated. Here we show how mutualisms involving plants and heterotrophic organisms varied during the last 50,000 years. During 50–25 ka BP, a cool period featuring stadial-interstadial fluctuations, arbuscular mycorrhizal and non-N-fixing plants predominated. During 25-15 ka BP, a cold, dry interval, the representation of ectomycorrhizal, non-mycorrhizal and facultatively mycorrhizal plants increased, while that of N-fixing plants decreased further. From 15 ka BP, which marks the transition to and establishment of the Holocene interglaciation, representation of arbuscular mycorrhizal plants decreased further, while that of ectomycorrhizal, non-mycorrhizal, N-fixing and wind-pollinated plants increased. These changes in the mutualist trait structure of vegetation may reflect responses to historical environmental conditions that are without current analogue, or biogeographic processes, such as spatial decoupling of mutualist partners.
ancient DNA, Quaternary, mutualisms, vascular plants
Zobel, M.
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Davison, J.
fbb48f0f-f6aa-48b0-87c5-910cbd42e54b
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Brochmann, C.
e211bc61-6d2e-463a-b3f1-aadffd969ba5
Coissac, E.
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Taberlet, P.
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Willerslev, E.
a8fd6b59-f601-4ffa-a87d-70596b4a1fe2
Moora, M.
5376134f-0b0d-4640-9d3f-3b8931aac757
Zobel, M.
9849a360-cc59-4029-9b71-31fa5bbdce76
Davison, J.
fbb48f0f-f6aa-48b0-87c5-910cbd42e54b
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Brochmann, C.
e211bc61-6d2e-463a-b3f1-aadffd969ba5
Coissac, E.
6f0fd0e5-3690-4545-9633-685425641ef8
Taberlet, P.
6a78b0f0-0afd-493c-bf0d-2cef54997c05
Willerslev, E.
a8fd6b59-f601-4ffa-a87d-70596b4a1fe2
Moora, M.
5376134f-0b0d-4640-9d3f-3b8931aac757

Zobel, M., Davison, J., Edwards, M.E., Brochmann, C., Coissac, E., Taberlet, P., Willerslev, E. and Moora, M. (2018) Ancient environmental DNA reveals shifts in dominant mutualisms during the late-Quaternary. Nature Communications, 9 (1), [139]. (doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02421-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

DNA-based snapshots of ancient vegetation have shown that the composition of high-latitude plant communities changed considerably during the late Quaternary. However, parallel changes in biotic interactions remain largely uninvestigated. Here we show how mutualisms involving plants and heterotrophic organisms varied during the last 50,000 years. During 50–25 ka BP, a cool period featuring stadial-interstadial fluctuations, arbuscular mycorrhizal and non-N-fixing plants predominated. During 25-15 ka BP, a cold, dry interval, the representation of ectomycorrhizal, non-mycorrhizal and facultatively mycorrhizal plants increased, while that of N-fixing plants decreased further. From 15 ka BP, which marks the transition to and establishment of the Holocene interglaciation, representation of arbuscular mycorrhizal plants decreased further, while that of ectomycorrhizal, non-mycorrhizal, N-fixing and wind-pollinated plants increased. These changes in the mutualist trait structure of vegetation may reflect responses to historical environmental conditions that are without current analogue, or biogeographic processes, such as spatial decoupling of mutualist partners.

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Accepted/In Press date: 30 November 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 January 2018
Published date: December 2018
Related URLs:
Keywords: ancient DNA, Quaternary, mutualisms, vascular plants

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 417127
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/417127
PURE UUID: 8ad2e3cf-92d3-4cd4-9358-6da2f73cd091
ORCID for M.E. Edwards: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3490-6682

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Date deposited: 19 Jan 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:27

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Contributors

Author: M. Zobel
Author: J. Davison
Author: M.E. Edwards ORCID iD
Author: C. Brochmann
Author: E. Coissac
Author: P. Taberlet
Author: E. Willerslev
Author: M. Moora

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