Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages
Highly fragmented and morphologically indistinct fossil bone is common in archaeological and paleontological deposits but unfortunately it is of little use in compiling faunal assemblages. The development of a cost-effective methodology to taxonomically identify bulk bone is therefore a key challeng...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Nature Publishing Group
2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48991 |
| _version_ | 1848758141480599552 |
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| author | Murray, D. Haile, J. Dortch, J. White, Nicole Haouchar, D. Bellgaard, M. Allcock, R. Prideaux, G. Bunce, Michael |
| author_facet | Murray, D. Haile, J. Dortch, J. White, Nicole Haouchar, D. Bellgaard, M. Allcock, R. Prideaux, G. Bunce, Michael |
| author_sort | Murray, D. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Highly fragmented and morphologically indistinct fossil bone is common in archaeological and paleontological deposits but unfortunately it is of little use in compiling faunal assemblages. The development of a cost-effective methodology to taxonomically identify bulk bone is therefore a key challenge. Here, an ancient DNA methodology using high-throughput sequencing is developed to survey and analyse thousands of archaeological bones from southwest Australia. Fossils were collectively ground together depending on which of fifteen stratigraphical layers they were excavated from. By generating fifteen synthetic blends of bulk bone powder, each corresponding to a chronologically distinct layer, samples could be collectively analysed in an efficient manner. A diverse range of taxa, including endemic, extirpated and hitherto unrecorded taxa, dating back to c.46,000 years BP was characterized. The method is a novel, cost-effective use for unidentifiable bone fragments and a powerful molecular tool for surveying fossils that otherwise end up on the taxonomic “scrapheap”. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:39:16Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-48991 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:39:16Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-489912017-09-13T15:37:22Z Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages Murray, D. Haile, J. Dortch, J. White, Nicole Haouchar, D. Bellgaard, M. Allcock, R. Prideaux, G. Bunce, Michael Archaeology Biodiversity Palaeontology Highly fragmented and morphologically indistinct fossil bone is common in archaeological and paleontological deposits but unfortunately it is of little use in compiling faunal assemblages. The development of a cost-effective methodology to taxonomically identify bulk bone is therefore a key challenge. Here, an ancient DNA methodology using high-throughput sequencing is developed to survey and analyse thousands of archaeological bones from southwest Australia. Fossils were collectively ground together depending on which of fifteen stratigraphical layers they were excavated from. By generating fifteen synthetic blends of bulk bone powder, each corresponding to a chronologically distinct layer, samples could be collectively analysed in an efficient manner. A diverse range of taxa, including endemic, extirpated and hitherto unrecorded taxa, dating back to c.46,000 years BP was characterized. The method is a novel, cost-effective use for unidentifiable bone fragments and a powerful molecular tool for surveying fossils that otherwise end up on the taxonomic “scrapheap”. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48991 10.1038/srep03371 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0 Nature Publishing Group fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Archaeology Biodiversity Palaeontology Murray, D. Haile, J. Dortch, J. White, Nicole Haouchar, D. Bellgaard, M. Allcock, R. Prideaux, G. Bunce, Michael Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title | Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title_full | Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title_fullStr | Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title_short | Scrapheap Challenge: A novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient DNA in faunal assemblages |
| title_sort | scrapheap challenge: a novel bulk-bone metabarcoding method to investigate ancient dna in faunal assemblages |
| topic | Archaeology Biodiversity Palaeontology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48991 |