Hunting Ancient Walrus Genomes:Uncovering the hidden past of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)

Traditionally, this understanding of our interactions with the natural world has been studied from an academic perspective within the confines of distinct disciplines. There is a growing need, and appreciation for, a more integrated, interdisciplinary approach as we learn more about the complexities and connections inherent in our world and cultures. This thesis bridges the divide between archaeology and biology by using ancient DNA to reveal new insights into human-walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) interactions. The main aims were to characterise past genetic structure within Atlantic walruses to understand the fate of extinct populations (chapter five), generate a series of baselines for future comparison with modern genetic data that are sensitive to time and space (chapter six) and to identify how broad climatic conditions may have shaped the evolution of walruses (chapter six). These aims were generated after identifying key knowledge gaps across and between disciplines within the existing academic literature (chapter one and two). Additionally, on a more technical note, this thesis also aimed to identify predictors of DNA preservation to inform sample selection prior to destructive analyses (chapter three) and to develop a methodology for the sex identification of ancient pinniped remains (chapter four)