Ancient DNA reveals 1,000 years of human-environment interactions at Crawford Lake
Scientists have used ancient DNA from lake-bottom sediment at Crawford Lake to reconstruct a 1,000-year history of human and environmental impact. The study tracks changes from Indigenous farming to modern industrialization.
Why it matters
This research provides a high-resolution record of human-environment interaction, supporting the scientific definition of the Anthropocene epoch.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Crawford Lake is a meromictic lake located along the Niagara Escarpment in Milton, Ontario, Canada. Credit: Kathryn Killackey An international team of scientists has recreated a 1,000-year timeline documenting ecological changes and human impact on the area surrounding Crawford Lake, the famed location of the proposed Anthropocene.
By analyzing sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) samples preserved in lake-bottom sediment, scientists were able to reconstruct a diverse, high-resolution data set of the entire ecosystem surrounding the lake—including plants, animals, bacteria and fungi—and map changes over the centuries.
The findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology .
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