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Recent Highlights

Ancient DNA from the sea floor reveals long-term responses of Arctic marine ecosystems to climate transitions

Marine ecosystem shifts with deglacial sea-ice loss inferred from ancient DNA shotgun sequencing

Sea ice is a key factor for the functioning and services provided by polar marine ecosystems. Here, shotgun metagenomics of marine sedimentary ancient DNA was used off Kamchatka covering the last ~20,000 years to trace shifts from a sea ice-adapted late-glacial ecosystem to an ice-free Holocene. Continuing sea-ice decline on the northern Bering Sea shelf might impact on carbon export and disrupt benthic food supply and could allow for a northward expansion of salmon and Pacific herring.