A 75,000-y-old Scandinavian Arctic cave deposit reveals past faunal diversity and paleoenvironment
Abstract
During the last glacial period (~118 to 11.7 ka), the Arctic has been characterized by a major redistribution of flora and fauna as a consequence of extreme climatic fluctuations, with associated glacial advances and retreats, sea-level changes, and shifting sea ice extent. In the high-latitude regions of Northern Europe that are currently subject to rapid climate warming, we lack a comprehensive understanding of faunal biodiversity in the last glacial period due to the extreme rarity of preserved organic remains. Here, we present a stratified sediment deposit with a diverse faunal composition preserved in a bone-bearing layer in Arne Qvamgrotta, part of the Storsteinhola cave system (68.10° N 16.38° E) in Northern Norway. Chronological analyses of sediments and bones including radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence, uranium–thorium, and phylogenetic dating place the faunal assemblage in Marine Isotope Stage 5a (MIS 5a, Odderade interstadial, ~85 to 71 ka). Combining comparative osteology and bulk-bone metabarcoding, we identify 46 taxa, including mammals, birds, and fish, with several species not previously found in Fennoscandia. The fauna implies a nonanalogous cold-adapted coastal community, with close proximity to sea ice and nearby freshwater bodies. Mitogenome analyses of a subset of taxa identify extinct lineages which attest to a lack of habitat tracking and the absence of a local refugium during the subsequent fully glaciated periods. This faunal record demonstrates long-term faunal dynamics and coastal environmental conditions during MIS 5a in the European Arctic.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (28)
Samuel J. Walker
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Aurélie Boilard
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Mona Henriksen
Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Edana Lord
Centre for Palaeogenetics
Marius Robu
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Jan-Pieter Buylaert
Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark
Liselotte M. Takken Beijersbergen
Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Lene Synnøve Halvorsen
Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Adriana M. Cintrón-Santiago
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Emma Katrin Onshuus
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Christopher Alan Cockerill
Department of Zoology, Stockholm University
Gabor Ujvari
Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences
László Palcsu
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research
Marjan Temovski
Isotope Climatology and Environmental Research Centre, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research
Jenny Maccali
Department of Earth Sciences and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen
Henriette Linge
Department of Earth Sciences and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen
Jesper Olsen
Aarhus AMS Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University
Sverre Aksnes
Department of Earth Sciences and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen
Anastasia Bertheussen
Department of Cultural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Ola Lygre
Department of Cultural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Inger G. Alsos
The Arctic University Museum of Norway, The Arctic University of Norway
Love Dalén
Centre for Palaeogenetics
Bastiaan Star
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Anne Karin Hufthammer
Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Thijs van Kolfschoten
Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University
Stein-Erik Lauritzen
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Trond Klungseth Lødøen
Department of Cultural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Sanne Boessenkool
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo