Норвегийн Арне Квамгротта агуйгаас олдсон 46 төрлийн амьтны үлдэгдэл нь мөстлөгийн үеийн экосистемийн ховор олдвор болж байна.
Норвегийн хойд хэсэгт орших Арне Квамгротта агуйгаас 75,000 жилийн тэртээ амьдарч байсан амьтдын бүлгэмдлийн үлдэгдлийг илрүүлжээ. Уг агуйг 1990-ээд онд ууланд хонгил ухах явцад санамсаргүйгээр нээсэн боловч 2021-2022 онд томоохон малтлага хийснээр энэхүү үнэ цэнтэй олдворууд ил болсон байна. “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгаагаар, эрдэмтэд туйл цагаан баавгай, далайн морь, халим, атлантын уулын нугас, загас зэрэг 46 төрлийн амьтны яс болон эртний ДНХ-д шинжилгээ хийжээ.
Малтлагын явцад Европ тивд устаж үгүй болсон, Скандинавын хойгт өмнө нь олдож байгаагүй хүзүүвчит лемминг мэрэгчийн үлдэгдэл олдсон нь онцлох нээлт болов. Ослогийн их сургуулийн профессор Санне Буссенкоол болон түүний багийнхан уг агуй нь тухайн үеийн далайн болон хуурай газрын экосистемийг бүхэлд нь харуулсан ховор агшин гэж дүгнэж байна. Судалгаагаар тухайн бүс нутагт мөсөн голууд ухарч, далайн эрэг мөсгүй байсан үед амьтад нутаглаж байсан нь тогтоогджээ.
Эрдэмтэд ясны үлдэгдлээс гадна эртний ДНХ-д шинжилгээ хийснээр эдгээр амьтдын амьдралын хэв маяг, цаг уурын өөрчлөлтөд хэрхэн хариу үйлдэл үзүүлснийг судалсан байна. Уур амьсгал дахин хүйтэрч, мөсөн бүрхүүл тэлэхийн хэрээр эдгээр амьтдын популяц мөхсөн болохыг судалгаа харуулжээ. Борнмутын их сургуулийн судлаач Сэм Уокерын тайлбарласнаар, энэхүү нээлт нь мөстлөгийн үед хүйтэнд дасан зохицсон амьтад ч томоохон уур амьсгалын өөрчлөлтийн үед мөхөж болзошгүйг харуулж байгаа нь өнөөгийн Арктикийн амьтдын хувьд ч сургамжтай юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A cave in Northern Norway has revealed the remains of an entire Arctic animal community that lived around 75,000 years ago. The discovery includes bones from 46 species. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study is based on excavations at the Arne Qvamgrotta cave. Researchers say the site preserves one of the oldest known snapshots of an Arctic ecosystem from this period.
Studying ancient Arctic environments is often difficult because very few remains older than 10,000 years have survived. That makes discoveries like this particularly valuable. The collection found in Norway captures a mix of animals that shared the same landscape at a time when glaciers had retreated from the coast.
By examining both bones and ancient DNA, the team was able to identify the species that lived there and learn more about what eventually happened to them.
A Surprisingly Rich Animal Community
The remains uncovered in the cave belong to 46 different types of animals, ranging from large marine mammals to birds and fish. As reported in the study published in PNAS, researchers identified species such as polar bears, walruses, bowhead whales, Atlantic puffins, common eiders, rock ptarmigans and Atlantic cod. One find stood out in particular: collared lemmings. The species is now extinct in Europe and had never before been discovered in Scandinavia.
“This cave has now revealed a diverse mix of animals in a coastal ecosystem representing both the marine and the terrestrial environment,” said Professor Sanne Boessenkool of the University of Oslo.
The cave was discovered by chance in the 1990s when mining work led to the construction of a tunnel through a nearby mountain. Yet despite being known for decades, it remained largely unexplored until researchers carried out major excavations in 2021 and 2022.
DNA Uncovers Forgotten Populations
The scientists didn’t just study bones, they also analyzed ancient DNA preserved in the remains. The genetic evidence suggests that the animal lineages living in the region 75,000 years ago did not survive after colder conditions returned. The study indicates that although these species had moved into the area after glaciers retreated, the populations represented in the cave eventually vanished as ice expanded across the landscape again.
Lead author Dr. Sam Walker, from Bournemouth University and the University of Oslo, described the discovery as “a rare snapshot of a vanished Arctic world.”
The DNA results are especially valuable because evidence from this period is so scarce. In comments accompanying the research, Professor Boessenkool noted that scientists have very little direct information about Arctic life during this stage of the Ice Age due to the lack of well-preserved remains.
A Landscape Shaped By Ice, Water And Tundra
The animal remains also offer clues about what Northern Norway looked like 75,000 years ago. Researchers believe the coast was largely ice-free at the time, creating suitable conditions for migratory reindeer. The presence of freshwater fish points to lakes and rivers scattered across the tundra.
At the same time, several species suggest that sea ice was present offshore. Bowhead whales and walruses, for example, are closely linked to icy marine environments. Yet the discovery of harbor porpoise remains adds another piece to the puzzle. Since harbor porpoises tend to avoid ice-covered waters, scientists think the sea ice was probably seasonal rather than permanent.
The research team says the findings also shed light on how these populations responded when conditions changed again. Dr.Walker explained that:
“This highlights how cold-adapted species struggle to adapt to major climatic events. This has a direct link to the challenges they are facing in the Arctic today as the climate warms at a rapid pace.” Adding that, “the habitats these animals in the region live in today are much more fractured than 75,000 years ago, so it is even harder foranimal populationsto move and adapt.”
Professor Boessenkool noted that the environmental shift recorded in the cave was actually a move toward colder conditions.
“These are cold-adapted species—so if they struggled to cope with colder periods in the past, it will be even harder for these species to adapt to a warming climate,” she said.
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