Ancient DNA from lakes. Insights into plant response to past climate changes

Considerable advances during the last decade in DNA sequencing technology and bioinformatics have enabled in-depth study of the genome from a larger number of ancient samples derived from a larger variety of substrates and environments. In particular, extraction and analysis of ancient DNA from lake sediments has provided important clues regarding the evolution of past environments in relation to climate change. This information is essential for understanding the importance of climate and plants' dispersal ability in determining their distributional ranges, and for predicting the response of plants to ongoing climate change.