Rise and Fall of the Beringian Steppe Bison
Centre for Human Genetics · University of Alaska Fairbanks · +10 more institutions
Abstract
The widespread extinctions of large mammals at the end of the Pleistocene epoch have often been attributed to the depredations of humans; here we present genetic evidence that questions this assumption. We used ancient DNA and Bayesian techniques to reconstruct a detailed genetic history of bison throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Our analyses depict a large diverse population living throughout Beringia until around 37,000 years before the present, when the population's genetic diversity began to decline dramatically. The timing of this decline correlates with environmental changes associated with the onset of the last glacial cycle, whereas archaeological evidence does not support the…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 17.05
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 29
Authors
27- BSBeth Shapiro
Centre for Human Genetics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas College, Oxford Research Group, University of Oxford, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
- AJAlexei J. Drummond
Centre for Human Genetics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas College, Oxford Research Group, University of Oxford, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
- ARAndrew Rambaut
Centre for Human Genetics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas College, Oxford Research Group, University of Oxford, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
- MCMichael C. Wilson
Centre for Human Genetics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas College, Oxford Research Group, University of Oxford, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
- PMPaul Matheus
Centre for Human Genetics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas College, Oxford Research Group, University of Oxford, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Topics & keywords
- Beringia
- Pleistocene
- Ancient DNA
- Holocene
- Population
- Genetic diversity
- Steppe
- Geography
- Life below water