Late Quaternary Bison diminution on the Great Plains of North America: evaluating the role of human hunting versus climate change
Late Quaternary Bison diminution on the Great Plains of North America: evaluating the role of human hunting versus climate change
复制标题
北美大平原第四纪晚期野牛减少：评估人类狩猎与气候变化的作用
DOI：
10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.07.002
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发表时间：
2008
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
C. Widga
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
M. Hill;Matthew G. Hill;C. Widga
野牛的体型变化和死亡率年龄结构数据记录了气候驱动的环境变化和人类狩猎压力对北美大型哺乳动物的影响。形态测量和死亡率数据取自 58 个考古地点和 9 个古生物学地点，年代在 37,000 至 250calBP 之间。身体尺寸的代理信息基于对 901 个成人跟骨 (os calcis) 和 1026 个肱骨记录的测量结果。此外，过去 14,000 年来 24 个考古动物群落的已发表死亡率概况也被用来估算野牛种群的年龄结构。这些结果表明，野牛体型的急剧缩小是在几次短暂的爆发中发生的，而不是持续逐渐下降。这些尺寸快速减小的时期与生态重组时期相关，当时干旱驱动的草原变化降低了饲料质量和可用性。死亡率年龄数据表明，体型减小是在没有证据表明野牛种群中存在逐渐严重的幼年偏差的情况下发生的。总的来说，体型的变化似乎是对环境条件的反应，而不是人类捕食压力的结果。
Body size changes of Bison and mortality age structure data document the effects of climate-driven environmental change and human hunting pressure on large mammals in North America. Morphometric and mortality data are drawn from 58 archaeological and 9 paleontological localities dating between 37,000 and 250calBP. Proxy information on body size is based on measurements recorded on 901 adult calcanei (os calcis) and 1026 humeri. In addition, published mortality profiles from 24 archaeological faunal assemblages spanning the last 14,000years were used to approximate the age structure of bison populations. These results suggest that dramatic diminution in bison body size occurred in several short bursts, rather than a continuous gradual decline. These periods of rapid size reduction correlate with times of ecological reorganization, when aridity-driven changes in grasslands decreased forage quality and availability. Mortality age data indicate that the decrease in body size occurred in a context where there was no evidence for a progressively severe juvenile bias in bison populations. Overall, it appears that the changes in body size were a reaction to environmental conditions rather than the result of human predation pressure.