A 1 Ma sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) record of catchment vegetation changes and the developmental history of tropical Lake Towuti (Sulawesi, Indonesia).

Studying past ecosystems from ancient environmental DNA preserved in lake sediments (sedaDNA) is a rapidly expanding field. This research has mainly involved Holocene sediments from lakes in cool climates, with little known about the suitability of sedaDNA to reconstruct substantially older ecosystems in the warm tropics. Here, we report the successful recovery of chloroplast trnL (UAA) sequences (trnL-P6 loop) from the sedimentary record of Lake Towuti (Sulawesi, Indonesia) to elucidate changes in regional tropical vegetation assemblages during the lake's Late Quaternary paleodepositional history.