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Ancient DNA and the tropics: a rodent's tale
Tania A Gutiérrez-García1, Ella Vázquez-Domínguez2, Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales3
1Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ap. Postal 70-275, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México taniagutierrezgarcia@gmail.com.
Biology Letters
|June 6, 2014
Summary
Ancient DNA from tropical regions is challenging but possible. Genetic analysis of Ototylomys phyllotis reveals a distinct Pleistocene form that went extinct in the Holocene.
Area of Science:
- Paleogenomics
- Tropical Ecology
- Mammalian Evolution
Background:
- Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies are typically limited to dry, cold regions due to DNA degradation in tropical environments.
- Preservation of genetic material in humid tropics poses significant challenges for molecular analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze ancient DNA from rodent fossils in a humid tropical cave (Loltún, Yucatan Peninsula).
- To investigate the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of Ototylomys phyllotis using ancient and modern genetic data.
Main Methods:
- DNA extraction from ancient rodent jawbones (Ototylomys phyllotis) from Holocene and Late Pleistocene layers.
- Amplification of cytochrome b gene fragments (666 bp) and subsequent genetic, phylogenetic, and divergence time analyses.
- Comparison of ancient sequences with modern Ototylomys phyllotis populations.
Main Results:
- Successful DNA extraction and sequencing from tropical ancient samples, an unprecedented achievement.
- Ancient O. phyllotis samples formed a distinct clade, diverging before modern populations.
- Evidence suggests a unique Pleistocene form of Ototylomys existed and subsequently went extinct.
Conclusions:
- This study demonstrates the feasibility of ancient DNA analysis in humid tropical environments.
- Ototylomys phyllotis likely represents a Pleistocene lineage that diversified and became extinct.
- The evolutionary history of this rodent suggests diversification during the Pleistocene and extinction in the Holocene.
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