DNA preserved in jetsam whale ambergris
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DNA preserved in jetsam whale ambergris. / Macleod, Ruairidh; Sinding, Mikkel Holger S.; Olsen, Morten Tange; Collins, Matthew J.; Rowland, Steven J.
In: Biology Letters, Vol. 16, No. 2, 20190819 , 2020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - DNA preserved in jetsam whale ambergris
AU - Macleod, Ruairidh
AU - Sinding, Mikkel Holger S.
AU - Olsen, Morten Tange
AU - Collins, Matthew J.
AU - Rowland, Steven J.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Jetsam ambergris, found on beaches worldwide, has always been assumed to originate as a natural product of sperm whales (Physeteroidea). However, only indirect evidence has ever been produced for this, such as the presence of whale prey remains in ambergris. Here, we extracted and analysed DNA sequences from jetsam ambergris from beaches in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and sequences from ambergris of a sperm whale beached in The Netherlands. The lipid-rich composition of ambergris facilitated high preservation-quality of endogenous DNA, upon which we performed shotgun Illumina sequencing. Alignment of mitochondrial and nuclear genome sequences with open-access reference data for multiple whale species confirms that all three jetsam samples derived originally from sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Shotgun sequencing here also provides implications for metagenomic insights into ambergris-preserved DNA. These results demonstrate significant implications for elucidating the origins of jetsam ambergris as a prized natural product, and also for the understanding of sperm whale metabolism and diet, and the ecological mechanisms underlying these coproliths.
AB - Jetsam ambergris, found on beaches worldwide, has always been assumed to originate as a natural product of sperm whales (Physeteroidea). However, only indirect evidence has ever been produced for this, such as the presence of whale prey remains in ambergris. Here, we extracted and analysed DNA sequences from jetsam ambergris from beaches in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and sequences from ambergris of a sperm whale beached in The Netherlands. The lipid-rich composition of ambergris facilitated high preservation-quality of endogenous DNA, upon which we performed shotgun Illumina sequencing. Alignment of mitochondrial and nuclear genome sequences with open-access reference data for multiple whale species confirms that all three jetsam samples derived originally from sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Shotgun sequencing here also provides implications for metagenomic insights into ambergris-preserved DNA. These results demonstrate significant implications for elucidating the origins of jetsam ambergris as a prized natural product, and also for the understanding of sperm whale metabolism and diet, and the ecological mechanisms underlying these coproliths.
KW - Ambergris
KW - Ancient DNA
KW - Coprolith
KW - Shotgun sequencing
KW - Sperm whale
U2 - 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0819
DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0819
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 32019465
VL - 16
JO - Biology Letters
JF - Biology Letters
SN - 1744-9561
IS - 2
M1 - 20190819
ER -
ID: 238850268