
Matthew J. WoollerUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks · College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Matthew J. Wooller
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295
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
September 2000 - September 2002
June 2002 - June 2021
Publications
Publications (295)
The capacity for a non-native species to become invasive largely hinges on existing dispersal capacity or adaptation of dispersal in new environments. Here we provide early evidence that invasive Northern Pike (Esox lucius), a Holarctic freshwater top predator, illegally introduced in the late 1950s into Southcentral Alaska, are now dispersing thro...
Ancient Native American ancestors (Clovis) have been interpreted as either specialized megafauna hunters or generalist foragers. Supporting data are typically indirect (toolkits, associated fauna) or speculative (models, actualistic experiments). Here, we present stable isotope analyses of the only known Clovis individual, the 18-month-old Anzick c...
Interest continues to grow in Arctic megafaunal ecological engineering, but, since the mass extinction of megafauna ~ 12–15 ka, key physiographic variables and available forage continue to change. Here we sought to assess the extent to which contemporary Arctic ecosystems are conducive to the rewilding of megaherbivores, using a woolly mammoth (M....
Woolly mammoths in mainland Alaska overlapped with the region’s first people for at least a millennium. However, it is unclear how mammoths used the space shared with people. Here, we use detailed isotopic analyses of a female mammoth tusk found in a 14,000-year-old archaeological site to show that she moved ~1000 kilometers from northwestern Canad...
Total mercury concentrations ([THg]) exceed thresholds of concern in some Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) tissues from certain portions of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. We applied compound-specific stable isotope analyses of both carbon and nitrogen in amino acids from fish muscle tissue to quantify the proportional contributions of primary p...
Proposed development of a mine within Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed has raised concerns about the potential impact of copper (Cu) on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). We conducted 96-hour flow-through bioassays using low-hardness and low-dissolved organic carbon water to determine the acute lethal toxicity of Cu to sockeye (O. nerka), Chinook (O...
The Swan Point site in interior Alaska contains a significant multi-component archaeological record dating back to 14,200 cal BP. The site’s radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) chronology has been presented in scattered publications that mostly focus on specific archaeological periods in Alaska, in particular its terminal Pleistocene components associated with the...
Aeolian deposits in the middle Tanana Valley of central Alaska offer a well-preserved record of paleoenvironmental change since the deglacial period (c. 16,000-11,000 cal yr BP). These deposits also contain some of North America's oldest archaeological occupations (c. 14,000-13,000 cal yr BP), making this
region critically important for understandi...
Background
Molecular stable isotope ratios are a novel type of dietary biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity for certain foods. Among these, fatty acid carbon isotope ratios (CIRs) have strong potential but have not been investigated as dietary biomarkers.
Objectives
We evaluated whether fatty acid CIRs and mass proportions were associat...
Background
The natural abundance nitrogen stable isotope ratio (NIR) of whole tissue correlates with animal protein intakes, including meat and fish. Amino acid NIRs (NIRAAs) are more variable than the whole tissue NIRs and may thus better differentiate among foods.
Objective
We evaluated whether NIRAAs were associated with intakes of fish and mea...
Climate-induced changes in the composition of organic matter sources in Chukchi Sea sediments could have major implications on carbon cycling, carbon sequestration, and food sources for lower benthic trophic levels. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to identify the proportional contributions of organic matter from various primary producers (p...
Nearly four decades after the first applications of strontium isotope analyses in archaeology and paleoecology research, it could be said that we are entering a “Golden Age”. Here, we reflect on major past developments and current strengths in strontium isotope research, as well as speculate on future directions. We review (1) the currently limited...
A submillennial-resolution record of lake water oxygen isotope composition (δ¹⁸O) from chironomid head capsules is presented from Burial Lake, north-west Alaska. The record spans the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~20–16k cal a bp) to the present and shows a series of large lake δ¹⁸O shifts (~5‰). Relatively low δ¹⁸O values occurred during a period cov...
A mammoth’s life
Fossils have long given us glimpses of the life that came before us, but these glimpses are generally static. They tell us a bit about species that lived, but not much about how they lived. Evolving techniques are deepening our viewpoint. Wooller et al . examined isotopes collected from the tusk of a 17,000-year-old mammoth to eluc...
Benthic communities play an important role in the nutrient cycling of settling organic matter and provide an energy link to higher trophic levels. These benthic communities are highly dependent on the food sources provided through sinking organic material, with pelagic-benthic coupling particularly strong on Arctic shelf systems. Arctic shelves, ho...
Methane (CH4) emissions from Arctic lakes are a large and growing source of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere with critical implications for global climate. Because Arctic lakes are ice covered for much of the year, understanding the metabolic flexibility of methanotrophs under anoxic conditions would aid in characterizing the mechanisms responsible...
In contrast to the modern Arctic, high-latitude ecosystems of the Late Pleistocene supported a diverse range of large mammalian herbivores, including abundant bison (Bison priscus) and horses (Equus sp.). This ‘mammoth steppe’ biome has no extant analog and modern tundra vegetation is likely incapable of supporting such a high density of large mamm...
The Bering Land Bridge (BLB) last connected Eurasia and North America during the Late Pleistocene. Although the BLB would have enabled transfers of terrestrial biota in both directions, it also acted as an ecological filter whose permeability varied considerably over time. Here we explore the possible impacts of this ecological corridor on genetic...
Background:
The carbon isotope ratios (CIRs) of individual amino acids (AAs) may provide more sensitive and specific biomarkers of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) than total tissue CIR. Because CIRs turn over slowly, long-term controlled-feeding studies are needed in their evaluation.
Objective:
We assessed the responses of plasma and RBC CIRAA...
Keratinized tissues, including whiskers, are ideal for acquiring a record of physiological parameters. Most tissues provide a snapshot of physiological status; however, whiskers may support longitudinal sampling for reproductive and stress-related hormones, if hormones are incorporated as whiskers grow and concentrations change with physiological s...
In July 2016, a mummified carcass of an ancient wolf (Canis lupus) pup (specimen YG 648.1) was discovered in thawing permafrost in the Klondike goldfields, near Dawson City, Yukon, Canada (Figure 1A). The wolf pup mummy was recovered along a small tributary of Last Chance Creek during hydraulic thawing that exposed the permafrost sediment in which...
Numerous paleoecological questions concern the mobility of ancient fauna in eastern Beringia. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratio (87 Sr/ 86 Sr) analysis has emerged as a powerful tracer for determining the provenance of ancient biological materials. However, it is important to characterize 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variation across a landscape. We measured the 87 Sr/...
Rationale: Dried blood spots (DBSs) are gaining popularity for biomarker analyses in ecological research due to their advantages for use in field‐based research and in remote settings; however, many DBS biomarkers remain unvalidated. We validated the application of compound‐specific stable nitrogen isotope analyses of amino acids (CSIA‐AAs) to fiel...
Detailed paleoecological evidence from Arctic Alaska’s past megafauna can help reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions and can illustrate ecological adaptation to varying environments. We examined a rare, largely articulated and almost complete skeleton of a steppe bison (Bison priscus) recently unearthed in Northern Alaska. We used a multi-proxy...
The earliest Native Americans have often been portrayed as either megafaunal specialists or generalist foragers, but this debate cannot be resolved by studying the faunal record alone. Stable isotope analysis directly reveals the foods consumed by individuals. We present multi-tissue isotope analyses of two Ancient Beringian infants from the Upward...
Anomalously low winter sea ice extent and early retreat in CE 2018 and 2019 challenge previous notions that winter sea ice in the Bering Sea has been stable over the instrumental record, although long-term records remain limited. Here, we use a record of peat cellulose oxygen isotopes from St. Matthew Island along with isotope-enabled general circu...
Assessing the challenges faced by wildlife populations is key to providing effective management but is problematic when dealing with populations in remote locations. Analyses of the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (expressed as δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values) of sequentially grown tissues, such as hairs, can be used to track changes in the eco...
Strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) are a popular tool in provenance applications in archeology, forensics, paleoecology, and environmental sciences. Using bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in provenance studies requires comparing the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of a sample of interest to that of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr baselines. Historically, these baselines required building empirical d...
Here, we use 30 long-term, high-resolution palaeoecological records from Mexico, Central and South America to address two hypotheses regarding possible drivers of resilience in tropical forests as measured in terms of recovery rates from previous disturbances. First, we hypothesize that faster recovery rates are associated with regions of higher bi...
Dried blood spots (DBS), created by applying and drying a whole blood sample onto filter paper, provide a simple and minimally invasive procedure for collecting, transporting, and storing blood. Because DBS are ideal for use in field and resource‐limited settings, we aimed to develop a simple and accurate DBS‐based approach for assessing mercury (H...
The State of Alaska assesses human exposure to mercury (Hg) via fish consumption producing consumption guidelines for fish tailored for children and women of childbearing age. Under these guidelines, unrestricted consumption is suggested for many fish species, while limited consumption is recommended for others. Subsequent questions have arisen reg...
Benthic invertebrates are a crucial trophic link in Arctic marine food webs. However, estimates of the contribution of different primary production sources sustaining these organisms are not well characterised. We measured the stable carbon isotope values (δ¹³C) of essential amino acids (EAAs) in muscle tissue from two common bivalve genera (Macoma...
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to assess the validity and specificity of blood plasma and red blood cell (RBC) amino acid carbon stable isotopes ratios (AA-CIRs) as biomarkers of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) and meat consumption in a highly-controlled feeding study. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that SSB intake would increas...
Several species found in the Bering Sea show significant spatial variation in total mercury concentrations ([THg]) longitudinally along the Aleutian Island chain. We assessed [THg] in other members of the Bering Sea food web to better understand the factors shaping regional differences. [THg] and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ ¹⁵ N an...
We present here the results of multi-proxy analyses (sediment geochemistry, diatoms, and pollen) from sediment cores collected at four lakes in the middle Susitna Valley, Alaska. These lakes form a transect from the tundra to the boreal forest. The retrieved cores span from ∼12,000 cal yr BP to the present, with age control provided by radiometric...
Studies of the peopling of the Americas have focused on the timing and number of initial migrations. Less attention has been paid to the subsequent spread of people within the Americas. We sequenced 15 ancient human genomes spanning Alaska to Patagonia; six are ≥10,000 years old (up to ~18× coverage). All are most closely related to Native American...
Complex processes in the settling of the Americas
The expansion into the Americas by the ancestors of present day Native Americans has been difficult to tease apart from analyses of present day populations. To understand how humans diverged and spread across North and South America, Moreno-Mayar et al. sequenced 15 ancient human genomes from Alaska...
p>This paper provides an overview of stable isotope analysis (H, C, N, O, Si) of the macro- and microscopic remains from aquatic organisms found in lake sediment records and their application in (palaeo)environmental science. Aquatic organisms, including diatoms, macrophytes, invertebrates, and fish, can produce sufficiently robust remains that pre...
This paper provides an overview of stable isotope analysis (H, C, N, O, Si) of the macro-and microscopic remains from aquatic organisms found in lake sediment records and their application in (palaeo)envi-ronmental science. Aquatic organisms, including diatoms, macrophytes, invertebrates, and fish, can produce sufficiently robust remains that prese...
A bolide that impacted NW Australia during the Late Quaternary left a circular depression more than 100 m deep and nearly a kilometer in diameter, with a crater rim ~30 m above the regional terrain. The resultant crater is a window into the regional water table. The surface of the contemporary central pan is 25 m below the adjacent terrain, coincid...
Detailed multiproxy paleolimnological data from Lake Hill, St. Paul Island, Bering Sea, Alaska
Palaeoenvironmental records from the now-submerged Bering
Land Bridge (BLB) covering the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present are needed to document changing environments and connections with the dispersal of humans into North America. Moreover, terrestrially based records of environmental changes are needed in close proximity to the re-establ...
Beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas that reside in Cook Inlet (CIBW) are important to coastal Alaska Native culture and subsistence, tourism, and ecologically as a top-level predator. Due to a ~50% population decline in the 1990s, the distinct population segment in Cook Inlet was designated depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 2000 an...
The stable isotopic composition of chitinous remains of Cladocera (water fleas) and freshwater Bryozoa (moss animals) preserved in lake sediment records can provide supporting insights into past environmental and ecosystem changes in lakes. Here we explore whether analyses of these remains isolated from lake flotsam can provide information on the d...
Studies addressing prehistoric mobility in animals typically use isotopic analyses of sequentially formed tissues, such as the growth layers in teeth, to infer physical movement on the landscape. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr values), which vary geographically, are particularly useful for this purpose, especially when paired with stable oxyge...
An influx of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into freshwater habitats can regulate a range of ecosystem characteristics, from water clarity to productivity. To understand the extent to which DOC can regulate ecosystem functioning, we conducted a survey to determine the source of DOC in low Arctic ponds close to the Arctic Circle (Kangerl...
Climate change in the Arctic is expected to have drastic effects on marine primary production sources by shifting ice-associated primary production to an overall greater contribution from pelagic primary production. This shift could influence the timing, amount, and quality of algal material reaching the benthos. We determined the contribution of s...
Existing paleoclimate data are exceedingly sparse from southern Spitsbergen, a High Arctic region predicted to experience significant environmental changes because of amplified warming. We analyzed biotic and isotopic paleolimnological proxies to reconstruct past climate from a lacustrine sediment core, with a basal age of ∼5500 a BP, in southern S...
The extinct ‘New World stilt-legged’, or NWSL, equids constitute a perplexing group of Pleistocene horses endemic to North America. Their slender distal limb bones resemble those of Asiatic asses, such as the Persian onager. Previous palaeogenetic studies, however, have suggested a closer relationship to caballine horses than to Asiatic asses. Here...
Statistics from the phylogenetic inference analyses of nuclear genomes using all four approaches.
(A) Read mapping statistics. (B) Relative transversion frequencies for approaches 1–3. (C) Relative private transversion frequencies for approach 4. DNA extraction 1: (Rohland et al., 2010); DNA extraction 2: (Dabney et al., 2013b); library preparation...
Bayesian time tree analysis results, with support and estimated divergence times for major nodes, and the tMRCAs for Haringtonhippus, E. asinus, and E. quagga summarized.
All analyses supported topology one in Appendix 2—figure 3. HPD: highest posterior density.
Measurement data for (A) equid third metatarsals, which were used in the morphometrics analysis, and (B) other NWSL equid elements.
A compilation of all 634 putative synapomorphic sites in the mitochondrial genome for Hippidion, Haringtonhippus, and Equus (A), with a comparison to the published MS272 mitochondrial genome sequence at the 140 sites with a base state that matches one of the three genera (B).
The horse reference mtDNA has Genbank accession NC_001640.1.
Summary of nuclear genome data from all 17 NWSL equids pooled together and analyzed using approach four.
Minimum and maximum NWSL:Equus ratios between relative frequencies are in bold, and are used for the divergence estimates in Figure 1—figure supplement 3. Total and mean values are for the four longest bins only (90–99 to 120–129 bp). Mean value...
Metadata for all samples used in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomic analyses, with the francisci holotype included for reference.
*mtDNA coverage is based on the iterative assembler or as previously published. **New mtDNA genome sequence, coverage, and radiocarbon data are reported for MS272.
Data from the sex determination analyses of 17 NWSL equids, based on alignment to the horse genome (EquCab2).
The oxygen isotope composition of chironomid head capsules in a sediment core spanning the past 5500 years from Lake Svartvatnet in southern Spitsbergen was used to reconstruct the oxygen isotope composition of lake water (δ18Olw) and local precipitation. The δ18Olw values display shifts from the baseline variability consistent with the timing of r...
The extinct “New World stilt-legged”, or NWSL, equids constitute a perplexing group of Pleistocene horses endemic to North America. Their slender distal limb bones resemble those of Asiatic asses, such as the Persian onager. Previous palaeogenetic studies, however, have suggested a closer relationship to caballine horses than to Asiatic asses. Here...
Nature Ecology & Evolution 1 , 0125 (2017); published 18 April 2017; corrected 5 June 2017. The Supplementary Information files that were originally published with the Article were not the intended final files.
Climate-mediated changes in the phenology of Arctic sea ice and primary production may alter benthic food webs that sustain populations of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus). Interspecific resource competition could place an additional strain on ice-associated marine mammals already facing loss of...
The role of environmental change in the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions remains a key question, owing in part to uncertainty about landscape changes at continental scales. We investigated the influence of environmental changes on megaherbivores using bone collagen nitrogen isotopes (n = 684, 63 new) as a proxy for moisture levels in the ran...
Aim
The Bering Land Bridge ( BLB ) connected Asia and North America during glacial periods, supported a diverse ecosystem of now‐vanished megafauna, and is a proposed glacial refugium. This study tests whether southern coastal Beringia was a refugium for woody taxa during the Last Glacial Maximum ( LGM ) and hypotheses about habitats available on t...
The stable carbon isotope composition, expressed as δ13C values, of chitinous resting stages of planktivorous invertebrates can provide information on past changes in carbon cycling in lakes. For example, the δ13C values of cladoceran ephippia and bryozoan statoblasts have been used to estimate the past contribution of methane-derived carbon to lak...