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The way of life in the Pleistocene extinct mammals elucidated by ancient DNA

Research Project

Project/Area Number 20K20942
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Medium-sized Section 17:Earth and planetary science and related fields
Research InstitutionUniversity of Yamanashi

Principal Investigator

Segawa Takahiro  山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 講師 (90425835)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 西原 秀典  東京工業大学, 生命理工学院, 助教 (10450727)
甲能 直樹  独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 地学研究部, グループ長 (20250136)
米澤 隆弘  東京農業大学, 農学部, 准教授 (90508566)
Project Period (FY) 2020-07-30 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥6,370,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,470,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000)
Keywords古代DNA / 絶滅動物 / ニホンオオカミ / 更新世オオカミ / 本州ヒグマ
Outline of Research at the Start

かつて日本列島には多種多様な中型・大型の哺乳類が生息していた。しかしその多くが更新世後期(12万年-1万年前)に日本列島各地で絶滅し、その存在は化石でしか知ることができない。本研究では、古代DNA分析技術を用いて、更新世に絶滅した本州の大型哺乳類の化石標本からDNA解析をおこない、これまで未知であった大型絶滅動物の系統や、渡来経路と時期、さらに集団遺伝学的解析から、個体数の歴史的な変動を解明する。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study conducted ancient DNA analyses of Pleistocene wolf and brown bear fossils to elucidate their phylogenetic position, migration route, and timing of arrival, which were previously unknown. DNA analysis of late Pleistocene brown bear fossils excavated from Honshu revealed that the brown bears of Honshu belonged to an unknown group originating from an older lineage. This lineage arrived in Honshu from northern Eurasia approximately 140,000 years ago. Furthermore, we conducted ancient DNA analyses on fossils of a giant Pleistocene wolf dating back 35,000 years, as well as a Japanese wolf from 5,000 years ago. Our findings revealed that the Japanese wolf, a small-bodied extinct subspecies, resulted from hybridization between the Pleistocene wolf in Japan and continental wolf lineages. The complex colonization history of ancient wolves involved repeated migration events.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本列島は基本的にユーラシア大陸から隔離された島弧でありながら、氷期の海水準低下期に断続的に陸続きになるという特殊な地理的環境である。こうした環境であったからこそ、今回の成果は大陸集団では検出できない時間軸を伴った生物地理学的な挙動まで解明できた。後期更新世以前(1万2000年以前)の日本列島にはヒグマ、オオツノジカ、ナウマンゾウといった様々な大型哺乳類が生息していた。それらは大陸から断続的に渡来した結果、「重層的」に集団の置き換わりが起こった歴史を持つ可能性があり、今後の研究の重要なテーマの一つになり、日本列島における哺乳類相の進化史の解明が進むと期待される。

Report

(4 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (7 results)

All 2022 2021 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (4 results) Journal Article (3 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 2 results,  Open Access: 2 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] University of Copenhagen(デンマーク)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Curtin University(オーストラリア)

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] University of Copenhagen(デンマーク)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] Curtin University(オーストラリア)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Paleogenomics reveals independent and hybrid origins of two morphologically distinct wolf lineages endemic to Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      Segawa Takahiro、Yonezawa Takahiro、Mori Hiroshi、Kohno Ayako、Kudo Yuichiro、Akiyoshi Ayumi、Wu Jiaqi、Tokanai Fuyuki、Sakamoto Minoru、Kohno Naoki、Nishihara Hidenori
    • Journal Title

      Current Biology

      Volume: 32 Issue: 11 Pages: 2494-2504

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.034

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] 更新世化石の放射性炭素年代測定と古代 DNA 解析 による本州に生息していたヒグマの起源の解明2022

    • Author(s)
      瀬川高弘, 甲能純子, 西原秀典, 門叶冬樹, 甲能直樹
    • Journal Title

      Isotope News

      Volume: 782 Pages: 26-30

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Ancient DNA reveals multiple origins and migration waves of extinct Japanese brown bear lineages2021

    • Author(s)
      Takahiro Segawa, Takahiro Yonezawa, Hiroshi Mori, Ayumi Akiyoshi, Morten E. Allentoft, Ayako Kohno, Fuyuki Tokanai, Eske Willerslev, Naoki Kohno, Hidenori Nishihara
    • Journal Title

      Royal Society Open Science

      Volume: 8 Pages: 210518-210518

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research

URL: 

Published: 2020-08-03   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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