Forest Germans (Głuchoniemcy, Walddeutsche, Taubdeutsche) in the Little Ice Age: mobility structures and natural environment (OPUS, NCN)
Until the mid-14th century, the Polish-Ruthenian border ran along Wisłoka river. It was abolished when Red Ruthenia was incorporated into Poland. However, this area remained a Polish-Hungarian borderland even after the fall of the Polish state in the 18th century, retaining the character of a political borderland to this day. Since the Middle Ages, the indicated region, also due to its borderland character, became the target of successive or parallel colonization/migration waves, to mention the largest: German and Polish associated with the incorporation of Red Ruthenia, which created a cultural group of Deaf/Forest Germans in the existing settlement void, Wallachian – which lay at the roots of the Lemkos, and Jewish. more
Reconstruction of the evolution history of brown bear in the Balkans (OPUS, NCN)
The brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) is a magnificent and iconic species that survived the massive extinction event that wiped out many large animals during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Currently, it is one of the most widely distributed bear species inhabiting Eurasia and North America, and it is the only bear species that roams continental Europe. Historically, this large carnivore has been widespread throughout Europe, but human activities, such as hunting and habitat destruction, have greatly reduced their numbers and territories. Currently, they are mostly confined to fragmented landscapes that are heavily influenced by human presence. more
The history of Balts from the area of present-day north-eastern Poland during the Iron Age and the Middle Ages based on the analyses of ancient DNA (Preludium, NCN)
The area of present-day north-eastern Poland was inhabited by the Balts since the early Iron Age. Around the 6th to 5th century BCE, they arrived from the Dnieper basin and created the West Baltic Barrow Culture, which also reached parts of present-day Belarus, Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast. In the following centuries, despite participation in the amber trade, they remained on the periphery of the major events that took place in Europe. more
All roads lead to… Masłomęcz. The cosmopolitanism and uniqueness of the Goth community of the late Roman Period Hrubieszów Basin in the light of fine-scale multidisciplinary analysis (OPUS, NCN)
Hrubieszów Basin, a geographic mesoregion in the very East of Poland, at the Ukrainian border, constitutes a notably rich assemblage of Roman Period archaeological sites associated with the Wielbark culture, and particularly with the Goths. The group of Goths inhabiting the eastern part of the Hrubieszów Basin between the late 2nd and late 4th century was named “Masłomęcz group” after the village in which arguably its most significant sites were excavated. more
Studying small mammals paleogenomics to reveal population history, selection and local adaptations (Sonata Bis, NCN)
When populations are facing a climatic change that surpasses their phenotypic plasticity, they either track their ecological niche, genetically adapt to new conditions or collapse. Accurate models of species’ responses to climate changes are essential to inform proper conservation and management actions. The use of genome-wide genetic data enables reconstruction of past demography and detection of the genetic adaptations signal in correlation with the environmental changes. However, the inference based on examination of modern specimens is limited because similar genomic signatures can be produced by different demographic processes and consecutive transitions erase genomic signals of earlier changes. more
Unraveling the chronological, geographical, and taphonomic complexities of the occurrence of the woolly rhinoceros in the Pleistocene contexts of Poland (WOOLRHINOPOLI) and Europe (OPUS, NCN)
The woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis Blumenbach 1799) is an extinct species of rhinoceros that lived in the Pleistocene in Europe and Asia. Until about 40 ka (thousand years) it was geographically widespread in Eurasia, including Poland, preferring areas of cold stepotundra. The woolly rhinoceros, along with the other large herbivore, the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), is a key component of the megafauna, or more or less cold-adapted large mammals of the Pleistocene. From the perspective of the results of studies of these taxa, knowledge of their history varies greatly with the surprising underestimation of studies of the woolly rhinoceros in the face of the significant abundance of its remains in the fossil record. more
Genetic analyses of extinct and recent forms of Saiga (family Bovidae) to determine their taxonomic variation and phylogeographic relationships in comparison with morphological and palaeoclimatic data (OPUS, NCN)
Climatic oscillations in the Pleistocene have significantly influenced the distribution and variation of present-day organisms. Temperate and thermophilic species retreated from cold regions to southern refugia, while arctic and subarctic species expanded to the regions of steppe tundra. One of such subarctic species is a small steppe antelope saiga (Saiga tatarica). This relic from the Ice Age is now critically endangered and is restricted to a few regions in Central Asia, so its studies are a priority. However, in the Pleistocene it was widely distributed across the central and northern Eurasia up to North America. This saiga is especially good taxon to analyse migrations because it is a nomadic herding species that migrates seasonally looking for areas with better food availability. Its geographic range probably expanded and contracted many times depending on the climatic conditions. However, the details about the migration routes of this mammal are still unclear. more
Reconstruction the evolutionary history of the European snow vole (Chionomys nivalis, Cricetidae, Mammalia) based on ancient DNA and radiocarbon dating in the context of climate changes in the late Pleistocene and Holocene (PRELUDIUM, NCN)
A great help in determining the impact of future climate and environmental changes on populations can be provided by studies of past analogues, so ancient DNA (aDNA) isolated from fossil specimens is an invaluable source of genetic information about the past, which is wiped out in present DNA. Particular species can response differently to climate changes. Thus, generalisations of the climate influence can be incorrect and gathering data on individual species is essential. One of interesting species in this context is the European snow vole Chionomys nivalis, a rodent, which is a glacial relict with a fragmented distribution in mountainous parts of south-eastern Europe as well as south-western Asia. This species was much more diversified in the past and its many morphospecies were described. We will study mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes and selected nuclear markers of fossil and contemporary specimens from the broad geographic range. more
Reconstruction and calibration of genome-based phylogeny of the Microtus genus using the Middle Pleistocene genomes (OPUS, NCN)
The genus Microtus is one of the most speciose mammalian genera and at present, it consists of at least 90 species distributed across Palearctic and Nearctic. It represents an example of one of the most rapid radiations among mammals. Recognition of factors driving such radiations, whether it was an ecological or climatic change, is focal for understanding the mechanism of species formation and divergence. However, in spite of numerous studies, phylogenetic relationships within Microtus are not fully resolved, and the divergence times of the main lineages are uncertain and based only on imprecise paleontological calibrations. These relationships should be resolved with higher confidence using genome-wide data while direct molecular clock calibration may be provided by the DNA sequences from paleontological specimens. more
Five thousand years of history of domestic cat in Central Europe. Interdisciplinary study of paleogenetics and archaeozoology (OPUS, NCN)
The main objective of the project is to present the synthetic approach to the history of the appearance of domestic cat in Central Europe, its further spread across this region, followed by genetic adaptations. This project’s aim is to fill the gaps in the current knowledge on the cat prehistory and history in Europe, i.e., between its domestication in the Near East, early appearance in Poland during Neolithic, the much later establishment of housecat population during the Roman Period and the rapid increase of fully-domesticated cat populations in the late medieval settlement centres. Presented interdisciplinary study will join complementary methods: archaeozoology with paleogenetics and radiocarbon dating. Such approach applied to numerous archaeological material of domestic cat from Central Europe will enable reconstruction of history of this species in the region, outside the Mediterranean. more
Genetic history of Poles (OPUS, NCN)
The general aim of this project is to reconstruct the genetic history of the present population of Poland. We will perform analyzes of ancient and modern genomes to find answer to several important questions: more
Phylogeography, genetic diversity and habitats of occuence of moose (Alces alces) in Eurasia in Late Pleistocene and Holocene (OPUS, NCN)
The evolutionary history, phylogenetic and ecology of moose is much less studied in comparison with other contemporary large ungulates of the northern hemisphere such as red deer (Cervus elaphus) or rare and endangered European bison (Bison bonansus). Especially, there are not many data concerning the ecology, phylogeography and genetic diversity of moose inhabiting Asia although the species evolved there. The aims of the project are: recognition of the genetic diversity, identification of habitats of occurrence and reconstruction of changes in the range of moose (Alces alces) in Eurasia in the time period of the last 50 000 years using various interdisciplinary methods. more
Evolutionary history of Microtus arvalis and Microtus agrestis (Sonata, NCN)
In recent years investigation of mechanisms of species’ responses to climate changes gained much scientific attention. One of the ways to learn about those mechanisms is to reconstruct species responses to climate changes that took place in a distant past, during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene when Earth witnessed many profound climate changes of various magnitudes. Recently it has been shown that multidisciplinary approach comprising analyses of DNA obtained from archaeological materials (ancient DNA) and direct radiocarbon dating allows for detailed reconstruction of species’ Pleistocene histories. The main goal of this project is to reconstruct evolutionary history of field (Microtus agrestis) and common voles (Microtus arvalis) during the last 50,000 years and to correlate it with available paleoclimate proxies. more
Impact of climate and environmental changes on population dynamics, migration and extinction events of selected rodent species in Late Pleistocene and Holocene (Opus, NCN)
The general goal of this project is to use genetic and morphological data obtained from fossil and contemporary specimens to investigate population dynamics, migrations and extinctions of three small mammal species during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene and to assess the impact of climate changes onto those events. These species namely the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), the narrow-headed vole (Microtus gregalis) and the root vole (Microtus oeconomus), were selected to represent different adaptations and environmental requirements and we assume that their evolutionary histories were different. more
Evaluation of DNA preservation in human remains from Maucallacta site (Peru) (Miniatura, NCN)
The Maucallacta is archeological site located in Arequipa Department in south-central Peru at 3,700 m a.s.l. This architectural complex consists of remains of over 200 stone buildings and tombs and present crucial settlements in Cuntisuyu, one of the four parts of the Inca Empire. It was probably the main religious and administrative center related to the cult of Coropuna volcano, described as deity and an oracle in pre-Columbian times. more