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Evidence for geographic variation in the diets of late Pleistocene and early Holocene Bison in North America, and differences from the diets of recent Bison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Florent Rivals ,
Nikos Solounias  and
Matthew C. Mihlbachler
Florent Rivals*
Affiliation:
ICREA-IPHES, Area de Prehistoria-Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Plaça Imperial Tarraco 1, 43005 Tarragona, Spain
Nikos Solounias
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568-8000, USA Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
Matthew C. Mihlbachler
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568-8000, USA Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: +34 977 55 95 97.E-mail address:florent.rivals@icrea.es (F. Rivals).
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Abstract

During the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, Bison was widely dispersed across North America and occupied most regions not covered by ice sheets. A dietary study on Bison paleopopulations from Alaska, New Mexico, Florida, and Texas was performed using two methods that relate dental wear patterns to diet, mesowear analysis and microwear analysis. These data were compared to a mixed sample of extant Bison from the North American central plains, extant wood Bison from Alberta (Canada) and a variety of other modern ungulates. Mesowear relates macroscopic molar facet shape to levels of dietary abrasion. The mesowear signature observed on fossil Bison differs significantly from the hyper-abrasive grazing diet of extant Bison. Tooth microwear examines wear on the surface of enamel at a microscopic scale. The microwear signal of fossil samples resembles to modern Bison, but the fossil samples show a greater diversity of features, suggesting that fossil Bison populations regularly consumed food items that are texturally inconsistent with the short-grass diet typical of modern plains Bison. Mesowear and microwear signals of fossil Bison samples most closely resemble a variety of typical mixed feeding ungulates, all with diets that are substantially less abrasive than what is typical for modern plains Bison. Furthermore, statistical tests suggest significant differences between the microwear signatures of the fossil samples, thus revealing geographic variability in Pleistocene Bison diets. This study reveals that fossils are of value in developing an understanding of the dietary breadth and ecological versatility of species that, in recent times, are rare, endangered, and occupy only a small remnant of their former ranges.

Keywords

PaleodietMesowearMicrowearBisonPleistocenePaleoecology
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 68 , Issue 3 , November 2007 , pp. 338 - 346
Copyright
University of Washington

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