Leiden University Student Repository

Nieman, Aline (2010)

Ancient DNA Analysis of Fossil Mammoth and Mastodon Dung. Contributions to dietary research

Master thesis | Archaeology (MA/MSc)

Sanger based sequencing of mammoth and mastodon dung samples were performed. The mammoth samples, from permafrost regions in Alaska and Siberia, were successfully amplified and sequenced. The mastodon samples, preserved in a continuously wet, cool, low-pH, anoxic environment, on the other hand, could not be amplified; possibly because they still contained living bacteria. Innovative procedures were used to establish an optimal functioning protocol and process the sequences. The obtained results are compared with each other, based on the target gene region, as well as with conventional morphological paleoecological methods of diet reconstruction. It is concluded that it is advantageous to use Sanger based sequencing with multiple target regions for diet analysis with ancient DNA. The additional value of ancient DNA analysis is relatively large for diet analysis, as 30-50% of the obtained identifications refined the morphological analyses, and the remaining identifications supported...Show moreSanger based sequencing of mammoth and mastodon dung samples were performed. The mammoth samples, from permafrost regions in Alaska and Siberia, were successfully amplified and sequenced. The mastodon samples, preserved in a continuously wet, cool, low-pH, anoxic environment, on the other hand, could not be amplified; possibly because they still contained living bacteria. Innovative procedures were used to establish an optimal functioning protocol and process the sequences. The obtained results are compared with each other, based on the target gene region, as well as with conventional morphological paleoecological methods of diet reconstruction. It is concluded that it is advantageous to use Sanger based sequencing with multiple target regions for diet analysis with ancient DNA. The additional value of ancient DNA analysis is relatively large for diet analysis, as 30-50% of the obtained identifications refined the morphological analyses, and the remaining identifications supported the morphological analyses completely.Show less

Author

Nieman, Aline

Faculty

Faculty of Archaeology

Supervisors

Kolfschoten, M. van
Gravendeel, B.
Geel, B. van

ECTS Credits

20

Evaluation

Recommended

Language

en