Permafrost metagenomics from central Yukon

We analyzed the microbial constituent of sedimentary ancient DNA sequence data recovered from subarctic loessal permafrost sediments dating between 30,000-4,000 years ago. These data were originally studied for palaeo-ecological shifts in plants and animals associated with the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Here, we explore whether there were changes in microbial communities paralleling the transition from distinctive cold-adapted Ice Age megafauna and vegetation communities-the mammoth-steppe ecosystem-towards the expansion woody shrubs, extirpation of grazing megaherbivores, and development of the boreal forest. We observe a clear shift in the relative proportions of prokaryotic taxa after ca. 13,300 years ago associated with the collapse of the mammoth-steppe.