Abstract
Siberian larch (Larix Mill.) forests dominate vast areas of
northern Russia and contribute important ecosystem services to the
world. It is important to understand the past dynamics of larches, in
order to predict their likely response to a changing climate in the
future. Sedimentary ancient DNA extracted from lake sediment cores can
serve as archives to study past vegetation. However, the traditional
method of studying sedimentary ancient DNA – metabarcoding – focuses
on small fragments which cannot resolve Larix to species level
nor allow the detailed study of population dynamics. Here we use shotgun
sequencing and hybridization capture with long-range PCR-generated baits
covering the complete Larix chloroplast genome to study
Larix populations from a sediment core reaching back up to 6700
years in age from the Taymyr region in northern Siberia. In comparison
to shotgun sequencing, hybridization capture results in an increase of
taxonomically classified reads by several orders of magnitude and the
recovery of near-complete chloroplast genomes of Larix. Variation
in the chloroplast reads corroborate an invasion of Larix
gmelinii into the range of Larix sibirica before 6700 years ago.
Since then, both species have been present at the site, although larch
populations have decreased with only a few trees remaining in what was
once a forested area. This study demonstrates for the first time that
hybridization capture applied to ancient DNA from lake sediments can
provide genome-scale information and is a viable tool for studying past
changes of a specific taxon.