Preservation of DNA on substrates and implications for horizontal gene transfer
PhD defence by Carlota Carbajo Moral
Assessment Committee
Professor Tue Hassenkam, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Professor Rikke Louise Meyer, Aarhus University
Associate professor Mareike Stahlschmidt, University of Vienna
Supervisors
Associate Professor Karina Krarup Sand
Associate Professor Nicole Rita Elisabeth Posth
Department
Globe Institute
Graduate Programme
Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Place
The defence is conducted as a hybrid defence.
To attend the defence in person:
Building: Natural History Museum of Denmark, Room: Natural History Museum Auditorium (GM auditorium),
Øster Voldgade 5, 7, 1350 København
To attend the defence online:
Please follow the link to attend the defence online: https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/j/65779745403?pwd=3WZfu4yt10BswFdoFGbhEDkM4WkllR.1
MeetingID, if relevant: 657 7974 5403
Password, if relevant: 168429
Email address to gain access to the thesis: carlota.carbajo@sund.ku.dk.
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.
Short description of the thesis
Ancient DNA has fascinated the scientific community for decades, increasingly enabling the reconstruction of past ecosystems and extending the limits of DNA preservation. The discovery that DNA–mineral associations can preserve genetic material in sediments has further expanded these possibilities, allowing the recovery of biological information from organisms that left no fossils or visible remains. Sedimentary DNA may also serve as a reservoir of genetic diversity, as bacteria can take up DNA adsorbed onto mineral surfaces and acquire new traits. This thesis investigates the geological and biological dimensions of mineral-facilitated horizontal gene transfer. The results demonstrate that mineral type and geochemical properties influence DNA–mineral interactions, preservation potential, bacterial responses, and extracellular DNA uptake, highlighting minerals as active agents in genetic exchange.