A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada
Abstract Middens (nests and caches) of Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii ) that are preserved in the permafrost of Beringia archive valuable paleoecological data. Arctic ground squirrels selectively include the plant material placed in middens. To account for this select...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.93 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S003358941700093X |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/qua.2017.93 2024-03-03T08:40:23+00:00 A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada Langeveld, Bram W. Mol, Dick Zazula, Grant D. Gravendeel, Barbara Eurlings, Marcel McMichael, Crystal N.H. Groenenberg, Dick van Reenen, Guido B.A. Palmeira, Mona Vogel, Johnny van Geel, Bas 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.93 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S003358941700093X en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Quaternary Research volume 89, issue 1, page 333-351 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 General Earth and Planetary Sciences Earth-Surface Processes Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) journal-article 2017 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.93 2024-02-08T08:39:16Z Abstract Middens (nests and caches) of Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii ) that are preserved in the permafrost of Beringia archive valuable paleoecological data. Arctic ground squirrels selectively include the plant material placed in middens. To account for this selectivity bias, we used a multi-proxy approach that includes ancient DNA (aDNA) and macro- and microfossil analyses. Here, we provide insight into Pleistocene vegetation conditions using macrofossils, pollen, phytoliths and non-pollen palynomorphs, and aDNA collected from one such midden from the Yukon Territory (Canada), which was formed between 30,740 and 30,380 cal yr BP. aDNA confirmed the midden was constructed by U. parryii . We recovered 39 vascular plant and bryophyte genera and 68 fungal genera from the midden samples. Grass and other herbaceous families dominated vegetation assemblages according to all proxies. aDNA data yielded several records of vascular plants that are outside their current biogeographic range, while some of the recovered fungi yielded additional evidence for local occurrence of Picea trees during glacial conditions. We propose that future work on fossil middens should combine the study of macro- and microfossils with aDNA analysis to get the most out of these environmental archives. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic ground squirrel Arctic permafrost Urocitellus parryii Beringia Yukon Cambridge University Press Arctic Canada Yukon Quaternary Research 89 1 333 351 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Earth-Surface Processes Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Earth-Surface Processes Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) Langeveld, Bram W. Mol, Dick Zazula, Grant D. Gravendeel, Barbara Eurlings, Marcel McMichael, Crystal N.H. Groenenberg, Dick van Reenen, Guido B.A. Palmeira, Mona Vogel, Johnny van Geel, Bas A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Earth-Surface Processes Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) |
description |
Abstract Middens (nests and caches) of Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii ) that are preserved in the permafrost of Beringia archive valuable paleoecological data. Arctic ground squirrels selectively include the plant material placed in middens. To account for this selectivity bias, we used a multi-proxy approach that includes ancient DNA (aDNA) and macro- and microfossil analyses. Here, we provide insight into Pleistocene vegetation conditions using macrofossils, pollen, phytoliths and non-pollen palynomorphs, and aDNA collected from one such midden from the Yukon Territory (Canada), which was formed between 30,740 and 30,380 cal yr BP. aDNA confirmed the midden was constructed by U. parryii . We recovered 39 vascular plant and bryophyte genera and 68 fungal genera from the midden samples. Grass and other herbaceous families dominated vegetation assemblages according to all proxies. aDNA data yielded several records of vascular plants that are outside their current biogeographic range, while some of the recovered fungi yielded additional evidence for local occurrence of Picea trees during glacial conditions. We propose that future work on fossil middens should combine the study of macro- and microfossils with aDNA analysis to get the most out of these environmental archives. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Langeveld, Bram W. Mol, Dick Zazula, Grant D. Gravendeel, Barbara Eurlings, Marcel McMichael, Crystal N.H. Groenenberg, Dick van Reenen, Guido B.A. Palmeira, Mona Vogel, Johnny van Geel, Bas |
author_facet |
Langeveld, Bram W. Mol, Dick Zazula, Grant D. Gravendeel, Barbara Eurlings, Marcel McMichael, Crystal N.H. Groenenberg, Dick van Reenen, Guido B.A. Palmeira, Mona Vogel, Johnny van Geel, Bas |
author_sort |
Langeveld, Bram W. |
title |
A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
title_short |
A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
title_full |
A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
title_fullStr |
A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
A multidisciplinary study of a Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( Urocitellus parryii ) midden from Yukon, Canada |
title_sort |
multidisciplinary study of a late pleistocene arctic ground squirrel ( urocitellus parryii ) midden from yukon, canada |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.93 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S003358941700093X |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Yukon |
genre |
Arctic ground squirrel Arctic permafrost Urocitellus parryii Beringia Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic ground squirrel Arctic permafrost Urocitellus parryii Beringia Yukon |
op_source |
Quaternary Research volume 89, issue 1, page 333-351 ISSN 0033-5894 1096-0287 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.93 |
container_title |
Quaternary Research |
container_volume |
89 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
333 |
op_container_end_page |
351 |
_version_ |
1792496088053186560 |