Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA
Abstract Terrigenous organic matter in marine sediments is considered a significant long-term carbon sink, yet our knowledge regarding its source taxa is severely limited. Here, we leverage land-plant ancient DNA from six globally distributed marine sediment cores covering the Last Glacial–Holocene...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02014-9 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861569790935040 |
|---|---|
| author | Ulrike Herzschuh Josefine Friederike Weiß Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring Lars Harms Dirk Nürnberg Juliane Müller |
| author_facet | Ulrike Herzschuh Josefine Friederike Weiß Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring Lars Harms Dirk Nürnberg Juliane Müller |
| author_sort | Ulrike Herzschuh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Terrigenous organic matter in marine sediments is considered a significant long-term carbon sink, yet our knowledge regarding its source taxa is severely limited. Here, we leverage land-plant ancient DNA from six globally distributed marine sediment cores covering the Last Glacial–Holocene transition as a proxy for the share, burial rate, preservation, and composition of terrigenous organic matter. We show that the spatial and temporal plant composition as revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA records reflects mainly the vegetation dynamics of nearby continents as revealed by comparison with pollen from land archives. However, we also find indications of a global north-to-south translocation of sedimentary ancient DNA. We also find that plant sedimentary ancient DNA has a higher burial rate in samples from the Late Glacial, which is characterized by high runoff and mineral load. This study provides an approach to understanding the global linkages between the terrestrial and marine carbon cycle, highlighting the need for further research to quantify the processes of DNA preservation and dispersal in marine sediments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-762fa43656094fe98354f78b8c58b960 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-762fa43656094fe98354f78b8c58b9602025-02-09T12:56:00ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-02-016111310.1038/s43247-025-02014-9Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNAUlrike Herzschuh0Josefine Friederike Weiß1Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring2Lars Harms3Dirk Nürnberg4Juliane Müller5Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Ocean circulation and climate dynamicsAlfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchAbstract Terrigenous organic matter in marine sediments is considered a significant long-term carbon sink, yet our knowledge regarding its source taxa is severely limited. Here, we leverage land-plant ancient DNA from six globally distributed marine sediment cores covering the Last Glacial–Holocene transition as a proxy for the share, burial rate, preservation, and composition of terrigenous organic matter. We show that the spatial and temporal plant composition as revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA records reflects mainly the vegetation dynamics of nearby continents as revealed by comparison with pollen from land archives. However, we also find indications of a global north-to-south translocation of sedimentary ancient DNA. We also find that plant sedimentary ancient DNA has a higher burial rate in samples from the Late Glacial, which is characterized by high runoff and mineral load. This study provides an approach to understanding the global linkages between the terrestrial and marine carbon cycle, highlighting the need for further research to quantify the processes of DNA preservation and dispersal in marine sediments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02014-9 |
| spellingShingle | Ulrike Herzschuh Josefine Friederike Weiß Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring Lars Harms Dirk Nürnberg Juliane Müller Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA |
| title_full | Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA |
| title_short | Dynamic land-plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient DNA |
| title_sort | dynamic land plant carbon sources in marine sediments inferred from ancient dna |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02014-9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ulrikeherzschuh dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna AT josefinefriederikeweiß dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna AT kathleenrstoofleichsenring dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna AT larsharms dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna AT dirknurnberg dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna AT julianemuller dynamiclandplantcarbonsourcesinmarinesedimentsinferredfromancientdna |