What the Past Can Provide: Contribution of Prehistoric Bison Studies to Modern Bison Management in Multiple Counties in Montana (original) (raw)
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2015
ABSTRACT—For over 100 years, bison in the Greater Yellowstone Area have been managed intensely. Even during the years of “natural regulation, ” bison herds have been heavily managed by culling. One of the fundamental goals of the plan for the Greater Yellowstone Area is to maintain the ecosystem’s integrity using sound science. In order to reach this goal, it must be recognized that it is a dynamic system, continually undergoing change. However, our knowledge of such changes is ex-tremely limited. In the case of bison, our knowledge is based on non-systematically collected historic records and modern studies of small, isolated populations. In contrast, the prehistoric record can provide a millennia-long record, providing a baseline of pre-European conditions against which the modern situation can be assessed and future manage-ment decisions can be made. In this paper, I discuss the application of new and emerging techniques (e.g., stable isotope analysis, pollen and phytolith analys...
We used a XAD-purified AMS radiocarbon method to date 62 bison specimens from different contexts on the very southern extent of the Great Plains of North America to produce a precise chronology of bison population expansions spanning the last 6000 years. Sixty-one of these samples provide stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data indicating relative temperature and moisture conditions during intervals defined by the presence of bison within this time span. This chronology indicates climatic conditions favorable to bison were present in the greater central Texas area, including the uplifted Edwards Plateau and extending to the Coastal Plain during periods from ∼5955 to 5815, ∼3290 to 3130, 2700 to 2150, and 650 to 530 cal BP. However, isotope results suggest climatic conditions differed for each period. The earliest “Calf Creek” period was characterized by cool but dry conditions, the later “Late Archaic 1 & 2” periods were increasingly warmer and wetter, and the latest “Toyah” period was cooler and drier than the Late Archaic periods, but warmer and wetter than Calf Creek. Both the Calf Creek and Toyah periods had higher variability within these overall trends. Comparison with regional records suggests that these periods represent variation within generally cool–dry climates. Human adaptive response to increased bison availability resulted in significant cultural changes across all four periods.
Isotopic paleoecology of Northern Great Plains bison during the Holocene
Scientific Reports
Bison (Bison bison) are one of the few terrestrial megafauna to survive the transition into the Holocene and provide a unique opportunity to study a species on a broad spatiotemporal scale. today, bison are primarily managed in small and isolated herds with little known about their ancestral ecology. We studied the carbon and nitrogen isotopes of northern Great plains bison from the terminal pleistocene and throughout the Holocene to gain insight into their paleoecology. this time span is contemporary with the first population bottleneck experienced by bison at the end of the Pleistocene and includes the second bottleneck which occurred in the late 19 th century. Results were compared with modern bison herd isotopic values from theodore Roosevelt national park (tRnp). patterns of isotopic variation found in bison over time indicate significant (δ 13 c p = 0.0008, δ 15 n p = 0.002) differences in diet composition and correlate with climate throughout the Holocene. isotopic relationships described here reveal the plasticity of ancient bison in unrestricted rangelands during periods of climatic fluctuations. Managers at TRNP and elsewhere should pursue opportunities to expand bison range to maximize forage opportunities for the species in the face of future environmental change.
Following the near extinction of bison (Bison bison) from its historic range across North America in the late 19th century, novel bison conservation efforts in the early 20th century catalyzed a popular widespread conservation movement to protect and restore bison among other species and places. Since Allen's initial delineation (1876) of the historic distribution of North American bison, subsequent attempts have been hampered by knowledge gaps about bison distribution and abundance prior to and following colonial arrival and settlement. For the first time, we applied a multidisciplinary approach to assemble a comprehensive, integrated geographic database and meta-analysis of bison occurrence over the last 200,000 years, with particular emphasis on the 450 years before present. We combined paleontology, archaeology, and historical ecology data for our database, which totaled 6438 observations. We derived the observations from existing online databases, published literature, and first-hand exploration journal entries. To illustrate the conservative maximum historical extent of occurrence of bison, we created a concave hull using observations occurring over the last 450 years (n = 3379 observations), which is the broadly accepted historical benchmark at 1500 CE covering 59% of the North American continent. Although this distribution represents a historic extent of occurrence-merely delineating the maximum margins of the near-continental distribution-it does not replace a density-based approach
Stable Isotope Analysis of Bison latifrons and Paleoecological Inferences
2015
Bison latifrons was a large Pleistocene herbivore that is traditionally hypothesized to have been adapted to living in forest openings and woodlands. According to this view, the species was primarily a browser of high-growing, woody plants. Very little isotopic work has been conducted on this species, and there have been no prior studies of high altitude localities containing this species. This study aims to address both of these issues. B. latifrons is known from sites in several states, including California, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, and Florida, among others. These sites provide diverse examples of this species' habitat and the opportunity to collect a robust data set for the purpose of characterizing its paleoautecology. I analyzed carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from tooth enamel to test hypotheses concerning the diet and possible migration patterns of these animals. Data for B. latifrons were collected from a variety of sites, including Diamond Valley Lake, CA, American F...
Analyzing Late Prehistoric Bison bison Remains near La Crosse, Wisconsin
Geospatial Considerations Involving Historic General Land Office Maps and Late Prehistoric Bison bison Remains Near La Crosse, Wisconsin, 2019
This study used geographic information systems, prehistoric archaeological contexts, and historic General Land Office (GLO) maps to conduct a pilot inter-site analysis involving La Crosse, Wisconsin area Oneota sites with reported Bison bi-son remains as of 2014. Scholars in and around Wisconsin continually discuss the potential reasons why bison remains appear in late prehistoric contexts. This analysis continued that discussion with updated methods and vegetation data and provides a case study showing the strength of using historic GLO maps in conjunction with archaeological studies. This research suggests that creating your own maps in coordination with the GLO’s publicly available original surveyor data is more accurate than using the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) vegetation polygon that cites the same data. This article’s re-search attempted to progress and review analytic methods that, if improved, can be used for future hunter catchment analyses.