title: Ancient DNA Reveals Late Pleistocene Existence of Ostriches in Indian Sub-Continent.
abstract: Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of extinct ratite species is of considerable interest as it provides important insights into their origin, evolution, paleogeographical distribution and vicariant speciation in congruence with continental drift theory. In this study, DNA hotspots were detected in fossilized eggshell fragments of ratites (dated ≥25000 years B.P. by radiocarbon dating) using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). DNA was isolated from five eggshell fragments and a 43 base pair (bp) sequence of a 16S rRNA mitochondrial-conserved region was successfully amplified and sequenced from one of the samples. Phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequence revealed a 92% identity of the fossil eggshells to Struthio camelus and their position basal to other palaeognaths, consistent with the vicariant speciation model. Our study provides the first molecular evidence for the presence of ostriches in India, complementing the continental drift theory of biogeographical movement of ostriches in India, and opening up a new window into the evolutionary history of ratites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
authors.forename: Sonal
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0439-6797
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.affiliation: CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, UP, India.
authors.forename: Giriraj
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
authors.forename: Parul Aggarwal
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pruthi
authors.affiliation: CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Kumarasamy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thangaraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bajpai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pruthi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000072441:DNA, Ancient / Q000032:analysis*; D004528:Egg Shell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005580:Fossils; D007194:India; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D020310:Struthioniformes / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000072441:DNA, Ancient; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S