Kistler, Logan
Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics
0000-0002-5730-5986
Kistler, Logan
Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics
I use archaeology, ancient DNA, and genomics to study the domestication of plants and humans' relationships with the environment.
You can reach me at Kistler L at SI dot edu.
Background And Education
Awards And Honors
- Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Award, conferred by Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Awards, 2018
Publications
Selected Publications
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Article
- VanDerwarker, Amber M., Thakar, Heather B., Hirth, Kenneth, Domic, Alejandra I., Harper, Thomas K., George, Richard J., Johnson, Emily S., Newhall, Victoria, Scheffler, Timothy E., McCool, Weston C., Wann, Kevin, Gaut, Brandon S., Kistler, Logan, and Kennett, Douglas J. 2025. "Early evidence of avocado domestication from El Gigante Rockshelter, Honduras." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122, (10). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2417072122. 2025
- Kistler, Logan, de Oliveira Freitas, Fabio, Gutaker, Rafal M., Maezumi, S. Y., Ramos-Madrigal, Jazm, Simon, Marcelo F., Mendoza F., J. Moises, Drovetski, Sergei V., Loiselle, Hope, De Oliveira, Eder Jorge, Vieira, Eduardo Alano, Carvalho, Luiz Joaquim Castelo Branco, Ellis Perez, Marina, Lin, Audrey T., Liu, Hsiao-Lei, Miller, Rachel, Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Ratan, Aakrosh, Wales, Nathan, Wann, Kevin, Zhang, Shuya, García, Magdalena, Valenzuela, Daniela, Rothhammer, Francisco, Santoro, Calogero M. et al. 2025. "Historic manioc genomes illuminate maintenance of diversity under long-lived clonal cultivation." Science, 387, (6738). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq0018. 2025
- Domic, Alejandra I., VanDerwarker, Amber M., Thakar, Heather B., Hirth, Kenneth, Capriles, José M., Harper, Thomas K., Scheffler, Timothy E., Kistler, Logan, and Kennett, Douglas J. 2024. "Archaeobotanical evidence supports indigenous cucurbit long-term use in the Mesoamerican Neotropics." Scientific Reports, 14, (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60723-1. 2024
- Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Balazik, Matthew T., Lin, Audrey T., Reeder-Myers, Leslie, Rick, Torben C., and Kistler, Logan. 2024. "Archaeogenomic analysis of Chesapeake Atlantic sturgeon illustrates shaping of its populations in recovery from severe overexploitation." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291, (2032). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1145. 2024
- Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Diaz, Rudy A., Ávila, Fabio Andrés, Ballen, Gustavo A., Cortés-B, Rocío, Kistler, Logan, Chitwood, Daniel H., Charitonidou, Martha, Renner, Susanne S., Pérez-Escobar,Oscar, A., and Antonelli, Alexandre. 2024. "Morphometrics and Phylogenomics of Coca (Erythroxylum spp.) Illuminate Its Reticulate Evolution, With Implications for Taxonomy." Molecular biology and evolution, 41, (7). https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msae114. 2024
- Penna, Anna, Blair, Mary E., Lui, Hsiao-Lei, Peters, Elsa, Kistler, Logan J., and Pozzi, Luca. 2024. "Overcoming Challenges to Extracting and Sequencing Historical DNA to Support Primate Evolutionary Research and Conservation, with an Application to Galagos." International Journal of Primatology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-024-00429-3. 2024
- Koenemann, Daniel M., Kistler, Logan, and Burke, Janelle M. 2023. "A plastome phylogeny of Rumex (Polygonaceae) illuminates the divergent evolutionary histories of docks and sorrels." Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107755. 2023
- Dal Martello, Rita, Von Baeyer, Madelynn, Hudson, Mark, Bjorn, Rasmus G., Leipe, Christian, Zach, Barbara, Mir-Makhamad, Basira, Billings, Traci N., Muñoz Fernández, Irene M., Huber, Barbara, Boxleitner, Kseniia, Lu, Jou-Chun, Chi, Ko-An, Liu, Hsiao-Lei, Kistler, Logan, and Spengler, Robert N. 2023. "The Domestication and Dispersal of Large-Fruiting Prunus spp.: A Metadata Analysis of Archaeobotanical Material." Agronomy, 13, (4). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041027. 2023
- Lin, Audrey T., Hammond-Kaarremaa, Liz, Liu, Hsiao-Lei, Stantis, Chris, McKechnie, Iain, Pavel, Michael, Pavel, Susan sa'hLa mitSa, Wyss, Senaqwila Sen̓áḵw, Sparrow, Debra qwasen, Carr, Karen, Aninta, Sabhrina Gita, Perri, Angela, Hartt, Jonathan, Bergström, Anders, Carmagnini, Alberto, Charlton, Sophy, Dalén, Love, Feuerborn, Tatiana R., France, Christine A. M., Gopalakrishnan, Shyam, Grimes, Vaughan, Harris, Alex, Kavich, Gwénaëlle M., Sacks, Benjamin N., Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S. et al. 2023. "The history of Coast Salish “woolly dogs” revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge." Science, 382, (6676) 1303–1308. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi6549. 2023
- Mueller, Natalie, Horton, Elizabeth, Belcher, Megan, and Kistler, Logan. 2023. "The taming of the weed: Developmental plasticity facilitated plant domestication." Plos One, 18, (4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284136. 2023
- Kennett, Douglas J. J., Harper, Thomas K. K., VanDerwarker, Amber, Thakar, Heather B. B., Domic, Alejandra, Blake, Michael, Benz, Bruce F. F., George, Richard J. J., Scheffler, Timothy E. E., Culleton, Brendan J. J., Kistler, Logan, and Hirth, Kenneth G. G. 2023. "Trans-Holocene Bayesian chronology for tree and field crop use from El Gigante rockshelter, Honduras." Plos One, 18, (6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287195. 2023
- Allaby, Robin G., Stevens, Chris J., Kistler, Logan, and Fuller, Dorian Q. 2022. "Emerging evidence of plant domestication as a landscape-level process." Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 37, (3) 268–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.002. 2022
- Capriles, José M., García, Magdalena, Valenzuela, Daniela, Domic, Alejandra I., Kistler, Logan, Rothhammer, Francisco, and Santoro, Calogero M. 2022. "Pre-Columbian cultivation of vegetatively propagated and fruit tree tropical crops in the Atacama Desert." Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.993630. 2022
- Fuller, Dorian Q., Denham, Tim, Kistler, Logan, Stevens, Chris, Larson, Greger, Bogaard, Amy, and Allaby, Robin. 2022. "Progress in domestication research: Explaining expanded empirical observations." Quaternary Science Reviews, 296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107737. 2022
- Marciniak, Stephanie, Mughal, Mehreen R., Godfrey, Laurie R., Bankoff, Richard J., Randrianatoandro, Heritiana, Crowley, Brooke E., Bergey, Christina M., Muldoon, Kathleen M., Randrianasy, Jeannot, Raharivololona, Brigitte M., Schuster, Stephan C., Malhi, Ripan S., Yoder, Anne D., Louis, Edward E., Jr., Kistler, Logan, and Perry, George H. 2021. "Evolutionary and phylogenetic insights from a nuclear genome sequence of the extinct, giant, "subfossil" koala lemur Megaladapis edwardsi." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118, (26). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022117118. 2021
- Spengler, Robert N., Petraglia, Michael, Roberts, Patrick, Ashastina, Kseniia, Kistler, Logan, Mueller, Natalie G., and Boivin, Nicole. 2021. "Exaptation Traits for Megafaunal Mutualisms as a Factor in Plant Domestication." Frontiers in Plant Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.649394. 2021
- Simon, Marcelo F., Mendoza Flores, J. Moises, Liu, Hsiao-Lei, Lopes Martins, Marcio Lacerda, Drovetski, Sergei, V., Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Loiselle, Hope, Cavalcanti, Taciana B., Inglis, Peter W., Mueller, Natalie G., Allaby, Robin G., Freitas, Fabio de Oliveira, and Kistler, Logan. 2021. "Phylogenomic analysis points to a South American origin of Manihot and illuminates the primary gene pool of cassava." New Phytologist, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17743. 2021
- Sacks, Benjamin N., Mitchell, Kieren J., Quinn, Cate B., Hennelly, Lauren M., Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S., Statham, Mark J., Preckler-Quisquater, Sophie, Fain, Steven R., Kistler, Logan, Vanderzwan, Stevi L., Meachen, Julie A., Ostrander, Elaine A., and Frantz, Laurent A. F. 2021. "Pleistocene origins, western ghost lineages, and the emerging phylogeographic history of the red wolf and coyote." Molecular ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16048. 2021
- Capriles, Jose M., Santoro, Calogero M., George, Richard J., Bedregal, Eliana Flores, Kennett, Douglas J., Kistler, Logan, and Rothhammer, Francisco. 2021. "Pre-Columbian transregional captive rearing of Amazonian parrots in the Atacama Desert." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118, (15). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020020118. 2021
- Andermann, Tobias, Torres Jiménez, Maria Fernanda, Matos-Maraví, Pável, Batista, Romina, Blanco-Pastor, Jos, Gustafsson, A. L., Kistler, Logan, Liberal, Isabel M., Oxelman, Bengt, Bacon, Christine D., and Antonelli, Alexandre. 2020. "A Guide to Carrying Out a Phylogenomic Target Sequence Capture Project." Frontiers in Genetics, 10 Article 1407. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2019.01407. 2020
- Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Armstrong, Chelsey G., and Kistler, Logan J. 2020. "Ancient Plant DNA as a Window Into the Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity of Our Food System." Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8 74. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00074. 2020
- Kistler, Logan, Bieker, Vanessa C., Martin, Michael D., Pedersen, Mikkel Winther, Madrigal, Jazmín Ramos, and Wales, Nathan. 2020. "Ancient Plant Genomics in Archaeology, Herbaria, and the Environment." Annual Review of Plant Biology, 71 605–629. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-081519-035837. 2020
- Kistler, Logan, Thakar, Heather B., VanDerwarker, Amber M., Domic, Alejandra, Bergström, Anders, George, Richard J., Harper, Thomas K., Allaby, Robin G., Hirth, Kenneth, and Kennett, Douglas J. 2020. "Archaeological Central American maize genomes suggest ancient gene flow from South America." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117, (52) 33124–33129. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2015560117. 2020
- Gaffney, Vincent, Fitch, Simon, Bates, Martin, Ware, Roselyn L., Kinnaird, Tim, Gearey, Benjamin, Hill, Tom, Telford, Richard, Batt, Cathy, Stern, Ben, Whittaker, John, Davies, Sarah, Sharada, Mohammed Ben, Everett, Rosie, Cribdon, Rebecca, Kistler, Logan, Harris, Sam, Kearney, Kevin, Walker, James, Muru, Merle, Hamilton, Derek, Law, Matthew, Finlay, Alex, Bates, Richard, and Allaby, Robin G. 2020. "Multi-proxy evidence for the impact of the Storegga Slide Tsunami on the early Holocene landscapes of the southern North Sea." Geosciences, 10, (7) Article 270. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10070270. 2020
- Smith, Oliver, Nicholson, William V., Kistler, Logan, Mace, Emma, Clapham, Alan, Rose, Pamela, Stevens, Chris, Ware, Roselyn, Samavedam, Siva, Barker, Guy, Jordan, David, Fuller, Dorian Q., and Allaby, Robin G. 2019. "A domestication history of dynamic adaptation and genomic deterioration in Sorghum." Nature Plants, 5, (4) 369–379. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0397-9. 2019
- Allaby, Robin G., Ware, Roselyn L., and Kistler, Logan J. 2019. "A re-evaluation of the domestication bottleneck from archaeogenomic evidence." Evolutionary Applications, 12, (1) 29–37. (Special Issue: Genomics of Domestication) https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12680. 2019
- Calo, Cristina Marilin, Rizzutto, Marcia A., Watling, Jennifer, Furquim, Laura, Shock, Myrtle P., Andrello, Avacir C., Appoloni, Carlos R., Freitas, Fabio O., Kistler, Logan, Zimpel, Carlos A., Hermenegildo, Tiago, Neves, Eduardo G., and Pugliese, Francisco A. 2019. "Study of plant remains from a fluvial shellmound (Monte Castelo, RO, Brazil) using the X-ray MicroCT imaging technique." Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 26 Article–number 101902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101902. 2019
- Austin, Rita M., Sholts, Sabrina B., Williams, LaShanda, Kistler, Logan, and Hofman, Courtney A. 2019. "To curate the molecular past, museums need a carefully considered set of best practices." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116, (5) 1471–1474. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1822038116. 2019
- George, Richard J., Plog, Stephen, Watson, Adam S., Schmidt, Kari L., Culleton, Brendan J., Harper, Thomas K., Gilman, Patricia A., LeBlanc, Steven A., Amato, George, Whiteley, Peter, Kistler, Logan, and Kennett, Douglas J. 2018. "Archaeogenomic evidence from the southwestern US points to a pre-Hispanic scarlet macaw breeding colony." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115, (35) 8740–8745. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1805856115. 2018
- Kistler, Logan, Maezumi, S. Yodhi, Gregorio de Souza. Jonas, Przelomska, Natalia A. S., Malaquias Costa, Flaviane, Smith, Oliver, Loiselle, Hope, Ramos-Madrigal, Jazm, Wales, Nathan, Ribeiro, Eduardo Rivail, Morrison, Ryan R., Grimaldo, Claudia, Prous, Andre P., Arriaza, Bernardo, Gilbert, M. Thomas P., de Oliveira Freitas, Fabio, and Allaby, Robin G. 2018. "Multiproxy evidence highlights a complex evolutionary legacy of maize in South America." Science, 362, (6420) 1309–1313. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav0207. 2018
- Kedzierska, Katarzyna Z., Gerber, Livia, Cagnazzi, Daniele, Krützen, Michael, Ratan, Aakrosh, Kistler, Logan, and Berger, Bonnie. 2018. "SONiCS: PCR stutter noise correction in genome-scale microsatellites." Bioinformatics, 34, (23) 4115–4117. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/bty485. 2018
- Kistler, Logan J., Johnson, Stephen M., Irwin, Mitchell T., Louis, Edward E., Ratan, Aakrosh, and Perry, George H. 2017. "A massively parallel strategy for STR marker development, capture, and genotyping." Nucleic acids research, 45, (15). https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx574. 2017
- Kistler, Logan J., Ware, Roselyn, Smith, Oliver, Collins, Matthew, and Allaby, Robin G. 2017. "A new model for ancient DNA decay based on paleogenomic meta-analysis." Nucleic acids research, 45, (11) 6310–6320. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx361. 2017
- Kennett, Douglas J., Plog, Stephen, George, Richard J., Culleton, Brendan J., Watson, Adam S., Skoglund, Pontus, Rohland, Nadin, Mallick, Swapan, Stewardson, Kristin, Kistler, Logan J., LeBlanc, Steven A., Whiteley, Peter M., Reich, David, and Perry, George H. 2017. "Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty." Nature Communications, 8 14115. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14115. 2017
- Kennett, Douglas J., Thakar, Heather B., VanDerwarker, Amber M., Webster, David L., Culleton, Brendan J., Harper, Thomas K., Kistler, Logan J., Scheffler, Timothy E., and Hirth, Kenneth. 2017. "High-precision chronology for Central American maize diversification from El Gigante rockshelter, Honduras." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114, (34) 9026–9031. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1705052114. 2017
- Bankoff, Richard J., Jerjos, Michael, Hohman, Baily, Lauterbur, M. E., Kistler, Logan J., and Perry, George H. 2017. "Testing Convergent Evolution in Auditory Processing Genes between Echolocating Mammals and the Aye-Aye, a Percussive-Foraging Primate." Genome Biology and Evolution, 9, (7) 1978–1989. https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evx140. 2017
- Melin, Amanda D., Wells, Konstans, Moritz, Gillian L., Kistler, Logan J., Orkin, Joseph D., Timm, Robert M., Bernard, Henry, Lakim, Maklarin B., Perry, George H., Kawamura, Shoji, and Dominy, Nathaniel J. 2016. "Euarchontan Opsin Variation Brings New Focus to Primate Origins." Molecular biology and evolution, 33, (4) 1029–1041. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msv346. 2016
- Allaby, Robin G., Kistler, Logan J., Gutaker, Rafal M., Ware, Roselyn, Kitchen, James L., Smith, Oliver, and Clarke, Andrew C. 2015. "Archaeogenomic insights into the adaptation of plants to the human environment: pushing plant-hominin co-evolution back to the Pliocene." Journal of human evolution, 79 150–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.10.014. 2015
- Kistler, Logan J., Ratan, Aakrosh, Godfrey, Laurie R., Crowley, Brooke E., Hughes, Cris E., Lei, Runhua, Cui, Yinqiu, Wood, Mindy L., Muldoon, Kathleen M., Andriamialison, Haingoson, McGraw, John J., Tomsho, Lynn P., Schuster, Stephan C., Miller, Webb, Louis, Edward E., Yoder, Anne D., Malhi, Ripan S., and Perry, George H. 2015. "Comparative and population mitogenomic analyses of Madagascar's extinct, giant 'subfossil' lemurs." Journal of human evolution, 79 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.06.016. 2015
- Cahill, James A., Stirling, Ian, Kistler, Logan J., Salamzade, Rauf, Ersmark, Erik, Fulton, Tara L., Stiller, Mathias, Green, Richard E., and Shapiro, Beth. 2015. "Genomic evidence of geographically widespread effect of gene flow from polar bears into brown bears." Molecular ecology, 24, (6) 1205–1217. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13038. 2015
- Kistler, Logan J., Newsom, Lee A., Ryan, Timothy M., Clarke, Andrew C., Smith, Bruce D., and Perry, George H. 2015. "Gourds and squashes (Cucurbita spp.) adapted to megafaunal extinction and ecological anachronism through domestication." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 201516109. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516109112. 2015
- Perry, George H., Kistler, Logan J., Kelaita, Mary A., and Sams, Aaron J. 2015. "Insights into hominin phenotypic and dietary evolution from ancient DNA sequence data." Journal of human evolution, 79 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.10.018. 2015
- Brown, Terence A., Cappellini, Enrico, Kistler, Logan J., Lister, Diane L., Oliveira, Hugo R., Wales, Nathan, and Schlumbaum, Angela. 2015. "Recent advances in ancient DNA research and their implications for archaeobotany." Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 24, (1) 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-014-0489-4. 2015
- Kistler, Logan J., Smith, Oliver, Ware, Roselyn, Momber, Garry, Bates, Richard, Garwood, Paul, Fitch, Simon, Pallen, Mark, Gaffney, Vincent, and Allaby, Robin. 2015. "Thermal age, cytosine deamination and the veracity of 8,000 year old wheat DNA from sediments." BioRxiv, -. https://doi.org/10.1101/032060. 2015
- Kistler, Logan J., Montenegro, Álvaro, Smith, Bruce D., Gifford, John A., Green, Richard E., Newsom, Lee A., and Shapiro, Beth. 2014. "Transoceanic drift and the domestication of African bottle gourds in the Americas." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111, (8) 2937–2941. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1318678111. 2014
- Kistler, Logan J., Haney, Jennifer M., and Newsom, Lee A. 2013. "Experimental investigation of pathogenic stress on phytolith formation in Cucurbita pepo var. texana (wild gourd)." Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 22, (3) 165–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-012-0363-1. 2013
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Chapter
- Wales, Nathan and Kistler, Logan. 2019. "Extraction of Ancient DNA from Plant Remains." In Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols. Shapiro, Beth, Barlow, Axel, Heintzman, Peter D., Hofreiter, Michael, Pajimans, Johanna L. A., and Soares, Andre E. R., editors. 45–56. New York: Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9176-1_6. 2019
- Kistler, Logan. 2018. "Paleoethnobotany and Ancient DNA Analysis." In The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences. 1–5. American Cancer Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119188230.saseas0435. 2018
- Fritz, G. J., Bruno, M. C., Langlie, B. S., Smith, Bruce D., and Kistler, Logan J. 2017. "Cultigen Chenopods in the Americas: A Hemispherical Perspective." In Social Perspectives from Environmental Archaeology: Food, Place, and People. Sayre, Matthew P. and Bruno, Maria C., editors. 55–75. New York: Springer. 2017
- Kistler, Logan J. 2012. "Ancient DNA Extraction from Plants." In Methods in Molecular Biology: Ancient DNA. Shapiro, B. and Hofreiter, M., editors. 71–79. New York: Humana Press. 2012
Affiliation
Member Of
Contact
Location
- National Museum of Natural History Academic Department
