@article{AndreevRaschkeBiskabornetal.2021, author = {Andreev, Andrei and Raschke, Elena and Biskaborn, Boris and Vyse, Stuart Andrew and Courtin, J{\´e}r{\´e}my and B{\"o}hmer, Thomas and Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R. and Kruse, Stefan and Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Late Pleistocene to Holocene vegetation and climate changes in northwestern Chukotka (Far East Russia) deduced from lakes Ilirney and Rauchuagytgyn pollen records}, series = {Boreas : an international journal of quaternary research}, volume = {50}, journal = {Boreas : an international journal of quaternary research}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Oxford [u.a.]}, issn = {0300-9483}, doi = {10.1111/bor.12521}, pages = {652 -- 670}, year = {2021}, abstract = {This paper presents two new pollen records and quantitative climate reconstructions from northern Chukotka documenting environmental changes over the last 27.9 ka. Open tundra- and steppe-like habitats dominated between 27.9 and 18.7 cal. ka BP. Betula and Alnus shrubs might have grown in sheltered microhabitats but disappeared after 18.7 cal. ka BP. Although the climate was rather harsh, local herb-dominated communities supported herbivores as is evident by the presence of coprophilous spores in the sediments. The increase in Salix and Cyperaceae similar to 16.1 cal. ka BP suggests climate amelioration. Shrub Betula appeared similar to 15.9 cal. ka BP, and became dominant after similar to 15.52 cal. ka BP, whilst typical steppe communities drastically reduced. Very high presence of Botryococcus in the Lateglacial sediments reflects widespread shallow habitats, probably due to lake level increase. Shrub Alnus became common after similar to 13 cal. ka BP reflecting further climate amelioration. Simultaneously, herb communities gradually decreased in the vegetation reaching a minimum similar to 11.8 cal. ka BP. A gradual decrease of algae remains suggests a reduction of shallow-water habitats. Shrubby and graminoid tundra was dominant similar to 11.8-11.1 cal. ka BP, later Salix stands significantly decreased. The forest-tundra ecotone established in the Early Holocene, shortly after 11.1 cal. ka BP. Low contents of green algae in the Early Holocene sediments likely reflect deeper aquatic conditions. The most favourable climate conditions were between similar to 10.6 and 7 cal. ka BP. Vegetation became similar to the modern after similar to 7 cal. ka BP but Pinus pumila came to the Ilirney area at about 1.2 cal. ka BP. It is important to emphasize that the study area provided refugia for Betula and Alnus during MIS 2. It is also notable that our records do not reflect evidence of Younger Dryas cooling, which is inconsistent with some regional environmental records but in good accordance with some others.}, language = {en} } @article{CourtinAndreevRaschkeetal.2021, author = {Courtin, J{\´e}r{\´e}my and Andreev, Andrei and Raschke, Elena and Bala, Sarah and Biskaborn, Boris and Liu, Sisi and Zimmermann, Heike and Diekmann, Bernhard and Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R. and Pestryakova, Luidmila Agafyevna and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Vegetation changes in Southeastern Siberia during the late pleistocene and the holocene}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {9}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2021.625096}, pages = {18}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Relationships between climate, species composition, and species richness are of particular importance for understanding how boreal ecosystems will respond to ongoing climate change. This study aims to reconstruct changes in terrestrial vegetation composition and taxa richness during the glacial Late Pleistocene and the interglacial Holocene in the sparsely studied southeastern Yakutia (Siberia) by using pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) records. Pollen and sedaDNA metabarcoding data using the trnL g and h markers were obtained from a sediment core from Lake Bolshoe Toko. Both proxies were used to reconstruct the vegetation composition, while metabarcoding data were also used to investigate changes in plant taxa richness. The combination of pollen and sedaDNA approaches allows a robust estimation of regional and local past terrestrial vegetation composition around Bolshoe Toko during the last similar to 35,000 years. Both proxies suggest that during the Late Pleistocene, southeastern Siberia was covered by open steppe-tundra dominated by graminoids and forbs with patches of shrubs, confirming that steppe-tundra extended far south in Siberia. Both proxies show disturbance at the transition between the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene suggesting a period with scarce vegetation, changes in the hydrochemical conditions in the lake, and in sedimentation rates. Both proxies document drastic changes in vegetation composition in the early Holocene with an increased number of trees and shrubs and the appearance of new tree taxa in the lake's vicinity. The sedaDNA method suggests that the Late Pleistocene steppe-tundra vegetation supported a higher number of terrestrial plant taxa than the forested Holocene. This could be explained, for example, by the "keystone herbivore" hypothesis, which suggests that Late Pleistocene megaherbivores were able to maintain a high plant diversity. This is discussed in the light of the data with the broadly accepted species-area hypothesis as steppe-tundra covered such an extensive area during the Late Pleistocene.}, language = {en} } @article{HuangStoofLeichsenringLiuetal.2021, author = {Huang, Sichao and Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R. and Liu, Sisi and Courtin, Jeremy and Andreev, Andrej A. and Pestryakova, Luidmila. A. and Herzschuh, Ulrike}, title = {Plant sedimentary ancient DNA from Far East Russia covering the last 28,000 years reveals different assembly rules in cold and warm climates}, series = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {9}, journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2296-701X}, doi = {10.3389/fevo.2021.763747}, pages = {15}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Woody plants are expanding into the Arctic in response to the warming climate. The impact on arctic plant communities is not well understood due to the limited knowledge about plant assembly rules. Records of past plant diversity over long time series are rare. Here, we applied sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding targeting the P6 loop of the chloroplast trnL gene to a sediment record from Lake Ilirney (central Chukotka, Far Eastern Russia) covering the last 28 thousand years. Our results show that forb-rich steppe-tundra and dwarf-shrub tundra dominated during the cold climate before 14 ka, while deciduous erect-shrub tundra was abundant during the warm period since 14 ka. Larix invasion during the late Holocene substantially lagged behind the likely warmest period between 10 and 6 ka, where the vegetation biomass could be highest. We reveal highest richness during 28-23 ka and a second richness peak during 13-9 ka, with both periods being accompanied by low relative abundance of shrubs. During the cold period before 14 ka, rich plant assemblages were phylogenetically clustered, suggesting low genetic divergence in the assemblages despite the great number of species. This probably originates from environmental filtering along with niche differentiation due to limited resources under harsh environmental conditions. In contrast, during the warmer period after 14 ka, rich plant assemblages were phylogenetically overdispersed. This results from a high number of species which were found to harbor high genetic divergence, likely originating from an erratic recruitment process in the course of warming. Some of our evidence may be of relevance for inferring future arctic plant assembly rules and diversity changes. By analogy to the past, we expect a lagged response of tree invasion. Plant richness might overshoot in the short term; in the long-term, however, the ongoing expansion of deciduous shrubs will eventually result in a phylogenetically more diverse community.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Courtin2023, author = {Courtin, J{\´e}r{\´e}my}, title = {Biodiversity changes in Siberia between quaternary glacial and interglacial stages}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-59584}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-595847}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {vi, 199}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Der vom Menschen verursachte Klimawandel wirkt sich auf die biologische Vielfalt der Erde und damit auf die {\"O}kosysteme und ihre Leistungen aus. Die {\"O}kosysteme in den hohen Breitengraden sind aufgrund der verst{\"a}rkten Erw{\"a}rmung an den Polen noch st{\"a}rker betroffen als der Rest der n{\"o}rdlichen Hemisph{\"a}re. Dennoch ist es schwierig, die Dynamik von {\"O}kosystemen in den hohen Breitengraden vorherzusagen, da die Wechselwirkungen zwischen abiotischen und biotischen Komponenten sehr komplex sind. Da die Vergangenheit der Schl{\"u}ssel zur Zukunft ist, ist die Interpretation vergangener {\"o}kologischer Ver{\"a}nderungen m{\"o}glich, um laufende Prozesse besser zu verstehen. Im Quart{\"a}r durchlief das Pleistoz{\"a}n mehrere glaziale und interglaziale Phasen, welche die {\"O}kosysteme der Vergangenheit beeinflussten. W{\"a}hrend des letzten Glazials bedeckte die pleistoz{\"a}ne Steppentundra den gr{\"o}ßten Teil der unvergletscherten n{\"o}rdlichen Hemisph{\"a}re und verschwand parallel zum Aussterben der Megafauna am {\"U}bergang zum Holoz{\"a}n (vor etwa 11 700 Jahren). Der Ursprung des R{\"u}ckgangs der Steppentundra ist nicht gut erforscht, und die Kenntnis {\"u}ber die Mechanismen, die zu den Ver{\"a}nderungen in den vergangenen Lebensgemeinschaften und {\"O}kosystemen gef{\"u}hrt haben, ist von hoher Priorit{\"a}t, da sie wahrscheinlich mit denen vergleichbar sind, die sich auf moderne {\"O}kosysteme auswirken. Durch die Entnahme von See- oder Permafrostkernsedimenten kann die vergangene Artenvielfalt an den {\"U}berg{\"a}ngen zwischen Eis- und Zwischeneiszeiten untersucht werden. Sibirien und Beringia waren der Ursprung der Ausbreitung der Steppentundra, weshalb die Untersuchung dieses Gebiets hohe Priorit{\"a}t hat. Bis vor kurzem waren Makrofossilien und Pollen die g{\"a}ngigsten Methoden. Sie dienen der Rekonstruktion vergangener Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Zusammensetzung der Bev{\"o}lkerung, haben aber ihre Grenzen und Schw{\"a}chen. Seit Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts kann auch sediment{\"a}re alte DNA (sedaDNA) untersucht werden. Mein Hauptziel war es, durch den Einsatz von sedaDNA-Ans{\"a}tzen wissenschaftliche Beweise f{\"u}r Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Zusammensetzung und Vielfalt der {\"O}kosysteme der n{\"o}rdlichen Hemisph{\"a}re am {\"U}bergang zwischen den quart{\"a}ren Eiszeiten und Zwischeneiszeiten zu liefern. In dieser Arbeit liefere ich Momentaufnahmen ganzer alter {\"O}kosysteme und beschreibe die Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Zusammensetzung zwischen Quart{\"a}rglazialen und Interglazialen und best{\"a}tige die Vegetationszusammensetzung sowie die r{\"a}umlichen und zeitlichen Grenzen der pleistoz{\"a}nen Steppentundra. Ich stelle einen allgemeinen Verlust der Pflanzenvielfalt fest, wobei das Aussterben der Pflanzen parallel zum Aussterben der Megafauna verlief. Ich zeige auf, wie der Verlust der biotischen Widerstandsf{\"a}higkeit zum Zusammenbruch eines zuvor gut etablierten Systems f{\"u}hrte, und diskutiere meine Ergebnisse im Hinblick auf den laufenden Klimawandel. Mit weiteren Arbeiten zur Eingrenzung von Verzerrungen und Grenzen kann sedaDNA parallel zu den etablierteren Makrofossilien- und Pollenans{\"a}tzen verwendet werden oder diese sogar ersetzen, da meine Ergebnisse die Robustheit und das Potenzial von sedaDNA zur Beantwortung neuer pal{\"a}o{\"o}kologischer Fragen wie Ver{\"a}nderungen der Pflanzenvielfalt und -verluste belegen und Momentaufnahmen ganzer alter Biota liefern.}, language = {en} }