Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species
Recent advancements in biomolecular archaeology, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA research, have expanded our understanding of megafauna extinction processes and dynamics. The rise of palaeoproteomics, specifically Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), has added yet another method to th...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Mammal Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmamm.2025.1564287/full |
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| author | Carli Peters Carli Peters Annette Oertle Annette Oertle Richard Gillespie Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Katerina Douka Katerina Douka |
| author_facet | Carli Peters Carli Peters Annette Oertle Annette Oertle Richard Gillespie Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Katerina Douka Katerina Douka |
| author_sort | Carli Peters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent advancements in biomolecular archaeology, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA research, have expanded our understanding of megafauna extinction processes and dynamics. The rise of palaeoproteomics, specifically Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), has added yet another method to this toolkit, as it can be used to taxonomically identify megafauna remains amongst highly fragmented bone assemblages. However, taxonomic identifications with ZooMS are reliant on the availability of collagen peptide markers for the regional fauna of interest. In the absence of a global reference database, most studies to date have been restricted to Eurasian contexts. Here, we report ZooMS peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species: Zygomaturus trilobus, Palorchestes azael, and Protemnodon mamkurra. We show that these taxa can be differentiated from extant Australian fauna with these peptide markers. This foundational work represents an important step in establishing ZooMS as a method that can be used to identify new megafauna specimens in Australia’s highly fragmented fossil record and ultimately help resolve fundamental questions related to human–fauna–environment interactions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-967dbb2a4d05416c9ce50c4f7b825a98 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2813-4699 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Mammal Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-967dbb2a4d05416c9ce50c4f7b825a982025-08-20T02:32:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Mammal Science2813-46992025-06-01410.3389/fmamm.2025.15642871564287Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna speciesCarli Peters0Carli Peters1Annette Oertle2Annette Oertle3Richard Gillespie4Nicole Boivin5Nicole Boivin6Nicole Boivin7Katerina Douka8Katerina Douka9Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, GermanyInterdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behavior, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, PortugalDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaHuman Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS) Research Network, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, AustraliaDepartment of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, GermanySchool of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaGriffith Sciences, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, AustraliaDepartment of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaHuman Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS) Research Network, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaRecent advancements in biomolecular archaeology, such as stable isotope and ancient DNA research, have expanded our understanding of megafauna extinction processes and dynamics. The rise of palaeoproteomics, specifically Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), has added yet another method to this toolkit, as it can be used to taxonomically identify megafauna remains amongst highly fragmented bone assemblages. However, taxonomic identifications with ZooMS are reliant on the availability of collagen peptide markers for the regional fauna of interest. In the absence of a global reference database, most studies to date have been restricted to Eurasian contexts. Here, we report ZooMS peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species: Zygomaturus trilobus, Palorchestes azael, and Protemnodon mamkurra. We show that these taxa can be differentiated from extant Australian fauna with these peptide markers. This foundational work represents an important step in establishing ZooMS as a method that can be used to identify new megafauna specimens in Australia’s highly fragmented fossil record and ultimately help resolve fundamental questions related to human–fauna–environment interactions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmamm.2025.1564287/fullZooarchaeology by Mass SpectrometryDiprotodontidaePalorchestidaeMacropodidaelate Quaternary |
| spellingShingle | Carli Peters Carli Peters Annette Oertle Annette Oertle Richard Gillespie Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Nicole Boivin Katerina Douka Katerina Douka Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species Frontiers in Mammal Science Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry Diprotodontidae Palorchestidae Macropodidae late Quaternary |
| title | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species |
| title_full | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species |
| title_fullStr | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species |
| title_short | Collagen peptide markers for three extinct Australian megafauna species |
| title_sort | collagen peptide markers for three extinct australian megafauna species |
| topic | Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry Diprotodontidae Palorchestidae Macropodidae late Quaternary |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmamm.2025.1564287/full |
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