| Title: |
Metagenomic Analysis of sedaDNA from Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Serbia |
| Authors: |
Steinhagen, Freya; Marković, Nemanja; Weingarten, Arianna; Spyrou, Maria A.; Roksandic, Mirjana; Mihailović, Bojana; Mihailović, Dušan; Dimitrijević, Vesna; Posth, Cosimo |
| Source: |
11th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology, Abstracts |
| Publisher Information: |
University of Turin, Italy |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Subject Terms: |
sedaDNA; Caves; Paleolithic |
| Description: |
Palaeolithic research in Serbia has considerably advanced within the last 20 years, with the discovery and excavation of a growing number of Pleistocene cave sites. These sites provide archaeological contexts to study human occupations and their interactions with the surrounding ecosystems. As natural archives, caves preserve diverse biological sources which are integrated within the sediment and can be used to capture shifts in species interactions and ecosystem responses. The stable microclimate of caves is thought to be beneficial for the preservation of ancient sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA). Because of its highly complex composition, sedaDNA allows for the analysis of past biodiversity through biomolecular and metagenomic approaches. Here, sedaDNA was extracted from Serbian caves spanning from the Lower to the Upper Paleolithic. Shotgun sequencing and bioinformatics pipelines based on mitochondrial DNA were implemented. The findings were authenticated using various classification pipelines such as MALT, aMeta and quicksand to confirm aDNA preservation and its reliable assignment. We reveal the presence of mammalian taxa that generally agree with the archaeozoological data and associated archaeological contexts, demonstrating the potential of Serbian caves for the study of ancient biodiversity. By integrating shotgun sequencing and bioinformatic workflows with optimized parameters, this research reconstructs past faunal diversity and provides insight into ecological dynamics and species interactions over time. In particular, we uncover ecological patterns which raise questions about the plasticity of cave ecosystems and the resilience of species to environmental fluctuations and human activities. ; 11th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology, 26-29 August 2025 - Saopštenje sa međunarodnog skupa štampano u izvoduTurin |
| Document Type: |
conference object |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant (895-2024-1005); https://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7846; http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/bitstream/id/22869/bitstream_22869.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_7846 |
| Availability: |
https://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7846; http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/bitstream/id/22869/bitstream_22869.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_7846 |
| Rights: |
openAccess ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; BY |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.561A4E14 |
| Database: |
BASE |