Holocene vegetation and climate in the Anavilhanas archipelago - Negro River, Amazonia

Abstract

Vegetation dynamics in the Amazon Basin and associated paleoclimatic and ecological variabilities have been a focus of research for scientists across the globe. For instance, sedimentological and geomorphological studies from the lower Negro River, in the northwest of the Brazilian Amazon, yielded many essential baseline datasets to understand environmental variations in the past. However, many questions have yet to be answered from the vast Amazon Floodplains and the seasonally black water flooded forests known as Igapó. This project proposes to use time-tested methods including microfossils (pollen and diatoms), stratigraphy, and charred microparticles to elucidate and evaluate the history of the Igapó vegetation and associated ancient anthropogenically dynamics throughout the Holocene in the Anavilhanas Archipelago, north of the Amazon Basin. Moreover, analysis of the bioindicators in combination with paleoenvironmental reconstruction is a rising topic in the geological sciences. A proper interpretation of these proxies requires a more robust understanding of the association between microfossils and genetic materials preserved in lacustrine environments. This project provides an excellent opportunity to evaluate environmental DNA (eDNA) record (lipid biomarkers) and its association with pollen and diatom datasets to address a wide range of paleoenvironmental questions. We anticipate developing a new methodological concept that implements high-throughput sequencing (eDNA) in Amazonian sediments. This internship abroad will be partnered with School of Environmental Studies, Nanjing University (ranked China's top 5 University and world's top 100 university) in collaboration with Dr. Xiaowei Zhang, a world-renown scientist in the field of eDNA metabarcoding, ddPCR, shotgun metagenomics, and target genome capturing, both in wet-lab and bioinformatics in environmental studies. (AU)