Continuity of eastern Beringian megafauna phylogenetic diversity following deposition of the Late Pleistocene Dawson tephra.

A volcanic eruption approximately 29,000 years ago deposited ash, known as the Dawson tephra, across the eastern Beringian mammoth steppe, spanning from Alaska to Yukon. Despite the significant environmental disturbance caused by this ashfall event—with thicknesses ranging from 5 to 80 cm—researchers found no significant changes in species assemblages or megafauna phylogenetic diversity following its deposition. This suggests that the Beringian ecosystem exhibited remarkable resilience to ecological disturbances during the Late Pleistocene. The study utilized sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) techniques to analyze genomic data from Dawson tephra exposures in Yukon, Canada, providing novel insights into past environmental dynamics and reinforcing the utility of sedaDNA in paleoecological research.

Wanket, C., Cocker, S. L., De Sanctis, B., Oliveira, M., Bond, J., Jensen, B. J. L., Froese, D. G., & Shapiro, B. (2026). Continuity of eastern Beringian megafauna phylogenetic diversity following deposition of the Late Pleistocene Dawson tephra. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.126906