Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact
Natural history collections provide a critical temporal view of past biodiversity and are instrumental in the study of extinct populations. However, the value of historical specimens relies on correct species identification, collection date and collection locality. The Australian National Maritime M...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:07cfe3f0d2ef4db1889aa1e84cd3e160 2023-05-15T17:59:21+02:00 Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact Caitlin Mudge Rebecca Dallwitz Bastien Llamas Jeremy J. Austin 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 https://doaj.org/article/07cfe3f0d2ef4db1889aa1e84cd3e160 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 https://doaj.org/article/07cfe3f0d2ef4db1889aa1e84cd3e160 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 8 (2020) historic DNA radiocarbon dating (AMS) whaling mitochondrial DNA natural history collection sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 2022-12-30T23:07:10Z Natural history collections provide a critical temporal view of past biodiversity and are instrumental in the study of extinct populations. However, the value of historical specimens relies on correct species identification, collection date and collection locality. The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) holds an unusual artifact – an electric lamp made from a dried whale penis – with unknown age, species-of-origin and collection locality. We used ancient DNA methods to generate a partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome sequence to establish the identity and provenance of the whale, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating to determine the approximate year of death. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the 16S rRNA gene and the control region indicate that the specimen belonged to a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and a modern radiocarbon age suggests it was collected post-1950s. We were unable to determine the collection locality of the whale due to the very broad geographic distribution of its mtDNA haplotype. Our results suggest the specimen was possibly collected as a souvenir during post-war whaling, where nearly 30,000 male sperm whales were killed annually. This study supports and extends previous research that applies ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating techniques to enhance the value of natural history collections, by identifying the species-of-origin and age of historical specimens. Article in Journal/Newspaper Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
historic DNA radiocarbon dating (AMS) whaling mitochondrial DNA natural history collection sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
historic DNA radiocarbon dating (AMS) whaling mitochondrial DNA natural history collection sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 Caitlin Mudge Rebecca Dallwitz Bastien Llamas Jeremy J. Austin Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
topic_facet |
historic DNA radiocarbon dating (AMS) whaling mitochondrial DNA natural history collection sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Evolution QH359-425 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Natural history collections provide a critical temporal view of past biodiversity and are instrumental in the study of extinct populations. However, the value of historical specimens relies on correct species identification, collection date and collection locality. The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) holds an unusual artifact – an electric lamp made from a dried whale penis – with unknown age, species-of-origin and collection locality. We used ancient DNA methods to generate a partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome sequence to establish the identity and provenance of the whale, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating to determine the approximate year of death. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the 16S rRNA gene and the control region indicate that the specimen belonged to a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and a modern radiocarbon age suggests it was collected post-1950s. We were unable to determine the collection locality of the whale due to the very broad geographic distribution of its mtDNA haplotype. Our results suggest the specimen was possibly collected as a souvenir during post-war whaling, where nearly 30,000 male sperm whales were killed annually. This study supports and extends previous research that applies ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating techniques to enhance the value of natural history collections, by identifying the species-of-origin and age of historical specimens. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Caitlin Mudge Rebecca Dallwitz Bastien Llamas Jeremy J. Austin |
author_facet |
Caitlin Mudge Rebecca Dallwitz Bastien Llamas Jeremy J. Austin |
author_sort |
Caitlin Mudge |
title |
Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
title_short |
Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
title_full |
Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
title_fullStr |
Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using Ancient DNA Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Provenance of an Unusual Whaling Artifact |
title_sort |
using ancient dna analysis and radiocarbon dating to determine the provenance of an unusual whaling artifact |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 https://doaj.org/article/07cfe3f0d2ef4db1889aa1e84cd3e160 |
genre |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
op_source |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 8 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X 2296-701X doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 https://doaj.org/article/07cfe3f0d2ef4db1889aa1e84cd3e160 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.505233 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
8 |
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1766168159086182400 |