Environmental Studies and Forestry

OPEN DNA of centuries-old timber can reveal its origin

L. Akhmetzyanov, P. Copini, et al.

This study uncovers the thrilling potential of ancient DNA analysis in tracing the origins of centuries-old oak timber from historic sites. Conducted by a team of researchers including Linar Akhmetzyanov and Ute Sass-Klaassen, the findings not only highlight the successful amplification of DNA from challenging samples but also emphasize the valuable combination with dendrochronological data for heightened accuracy.

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~3 min • Beginner • English

Index

Abstract

Oak wood was highly appreciated and widely used for construction in past centuries, leading to long-distance timber trade as local supplies were depleted. Dendroprovenancing via tree-ring-width (TRW) matching is the standard approach to infer timber origin, but it has limitations. This study tests three DNA analysis methods on ancient DNA (aDNA) extracted from oak timber (sapwood and heartwood) from historical buildings and shipwrecks with independent dendrochronological dating/provenance. Despite the known challenges of DNA extraction from heartwood, at least one marker amplified in 56% of samples, enabling identification of potential source areas for historic structures in Latvia and Denmark and a 13th–14th century shipwreck from Germany. The results demonstrate strong potential of DNA analyses to identify timber origin at regional scales; combined with dendrochronology, they allow a more nuanced reconstruction of timber sources for historic structures.

Publisher

Scientific Reports

Published On

Nov 23, 2020

Authors

Linar Akhmetzyanov, Paul Copini, Ute Sass-Klaassen, Hilke Schroeder, G. Arjen de Groot, Ivo Laros, Aoife Daly

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