Using sedaDNA from North Sea sediment cores to reconstruct the early Holocene palaeoenvironment

Until ~7000-8000 years ago, much of the southern North Sea was a coastal plain now named Doggerland. Doggerland was inhabited by Mesolithic people and is expected to be a rich source of archaeological information. This thesis reconstructs environmental changes through time in a region of Doggerland using sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from marine cores. Plant and animal DNA profiles are produced for individual samples using a novel, highly accurate sequence assignment method. These are used to infer environmental conditions and changes through each core. Patterns across cores are then examined. The validity of these results is evaluated by searching for age-associated DNA damage patterns and evidence that DNA has not moved vertically between sediment strata. Certain unexpected taxa that would be particularly informative for climate or human activity are investigated in greater depth where data allows. Finally, the authenticated results are drawn together and re-examined in the context of preliminary dating information from Europe's Lost Frontiers colleagues. Overall, the cores appear to have captured environments through the inundation process. There are woodland and freshwater profiles; some are grass dominated and may represent reed beds; others combine seagrasses and small terrestrial signals to imply a brackish coastal environment. The project presents a detailed insight into an ancient submerged landscape, demonstrates the capability of emerging sedaDNA analysis methods, and provides a platform for further investigation of the relationship of sedaDNA to other environmental proxies.