Journal Article

Glacial Survival of Boreal Trees in Northern Scandinavia

Edwards, Mary E., Parducci, Laura, Alsos, Inger Greve, Haile, James, Suyama, Yoshihisa, Taberlet, Pierre, Willerslev, Eske, Jørgensen, Tina, Tollefsrud, Mari Mette, Boessenkool, Sanne, Brochmann, Christian, Kjaer, Kurt H., Alm, Torbjørn, Bennett, K. D., Elverland, Ellen, Gilbert, M. Thomas P., Matetovici, Irina, Coissac, Eric, Houmark-Nielsen, Michael, Fontana, Sonia L., Orlando, Ludovic, Andersen, Kenneth, Rasmussen, Morten, Larsen, Nicolaj Krog

2012

Overview

It is commonly believed that trees were absent in Scandinavia during the last glaciation and first recolonized the Scandinavian Peninsula with the retreat of its ice sheet some 9000 years ago. Here, we show the presence of a rare mitochondrial DNA haplotype of spruce that appears unique to Scandinavia and with its highest frequency to the west—an area believed to sustain ice-free refugia during most of the last ice age. We further show the survival of DNA from this haplotype in lake sediments and pollen of Trondelag in central Norway dating back ~10,300 years and ch loro plast DNA of pine and spruce in lake sediments adjacent to the ice-free Andeya refugium in northwestern Norway as early as ~22,000 and 17,700 years ago, respectively. Our findings imply that conifer trees survived in ice-free refugia of Scandinavia during the last glaciation, challenging current views on survival and spread of trees as a response to climate changes.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Age / Animal and plant ecology / Animal, plant and microbial ecology / Base Sequence / Biological and medical sciences / chloroplast DNA / Climate change / Coniferous trees / conifers / Dispersal / DNA / DNA, Chloroplast - genetics / DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics / Ecological genetics / Ecosystem / Europe / Forest trees / Forestry / Fossils / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / General forest ecology / Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology / Geologic Sediments / Glaciation / Glaciers / Haplotypes / ice / Ice ages / Ice Cover / Lake sediments / Lakes / Mitochondrial DNA / Molecular Sequence Data / Mutation / Norway / Paleobotany / Picea / Picea - genetics / Pinus - genetics / Plant populations / Pollen / refuge habitats / Refugia / Research universities / Scandinavia / Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / Sediments / Survival / Synecology / Terrestrial ecosystems / Time / Trees