Rise and Fall of the Beringian Steppe Bison

Beth Shapiro; Alexei J. Drummond; Andrew Rambaut; Michael C. Wilson; Paul E. Matheus; Andrei V. Sher; Oliver G. Pybus; M. Thomas P. Gilbert; Ian Barnes; Jonas Binladen; Eske Willerslev; Anders J. Hansen; Gennady F. Baryshnikov; James A. Burns; Sergei Davydov; Jonathan C. Driver; Duane G. Froese; C. Richard Harington; Grant Keddie; Pavel Kosintsev; Michael L. Kunz; Larry D. Martin; Robert O. Stephenson; John Storer; Richard Tedford; Sergei Zimov; Alan Cooper

doi:10.1126/science.1101074

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Rise and Fall of the Beringian Steppe Bison

Beth Shapiro1,2,
Alexei J. Drummond2,
Andrew Rambaut2,
Michael C. Wilson3,
Paul E. Matheus4,
Andrei V. Sher5,
Oliver G. Pybus2,
M. Thomas P. Gilbert1,2,
Ian Barnes6,
Jonas Binladen7,
Eske Willerslev1,7,
Anders J. Hansen7,
Gennady F. Baryshnikov8,
James A. Burns9,
Sergei Davydov10,
Jonathan C. Driver11,
Duane G. Froese12,
C. Richard Harington13,
Grant Keddie14,
Pavel Kosintsev15,
Michael L. Kunz16,
Larry D. Martin17,
Robert O. Stephenson18,
John Storer19,
Richard Tedford20,
Sergei Zimov10,
Alan Cooper1,2,*

¹ Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.
² Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.
³ Department of Geology and Department of Anthropology, Douglas College, Post Office Box 2503, New Westminster, British Columbia V3L 5B2, Canada.
⁴ Alaska Quaternary Center and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775–5940, USA.
⁵ Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prospect, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
⁶ The Centre for Genetic Anthropology, Department of Biology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
⁷ Department of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15–2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁸ Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
⁹ Quaternary Paleontology, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 0M6, Canada.
¹⁰ North-East Scientific Station of Russian Academy of Science, Post Office Box 18, Cherskii, Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Russia.
¹¹ Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.
¹² Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.
¹³ Canadian Museum of Nature (Paleobiology), Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada.
¹⁴ Department of Archaeology, Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1X4, Canada.
¹⁵ Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 202 8 Martas Street, Ekaterinburg 620144, Russia.
¹⁶ Bureau of Land Management, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99708 USA.
¹⁷ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
¹⁸ Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA.
¹⁹ Yukon Paleontologist, Heritage Resources, Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory YTY1A 2C6, Canada.
²⁰ Department of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.

↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: alan.cooper{at}zoo.ox.ac.uk

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Science 26 Nov 2004:
Vol. 306, Issue 5701, pp. 1561-1565
DOI: 10.1126/science.1101074

Beth Shapiro

1 Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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Alexei J. Drummond

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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Andrew Rambaut

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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Michael C. Wilson

3 Department of Geology and Department of Anthropology, Douglas College, Post Office Box 2503, New Westminster, British Columbia V3L 5B2, Canada.

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Paul E. Matheus

4 Alaska Quaternary Center and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775–5940, USA.

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Andrei V. Sher

5 Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 33 Leninsky Prospect, 119071 Moscow, Russia.

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Oliver G. Pybus

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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M. Thomas P. Gilbert

1 Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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Ian Barnes

6 The Centre for Genetic Anthropology, Department of Biology, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

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Jonas Binladen

7 Department of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15–2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Eske Willerslev

1 Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

7 Department of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15–2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Anders J. Hansen

7 Department of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15–2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Gennady F. Baryshnikov

8 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.

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James A. Burns

9 Quaternary Paleontology, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 0M6, Canada.

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Sergei Davydov

10 North-East Scientific Station of Russian Academy of Science, Post Office Box 18, Cherskii, Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Russia.

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Jonathan C. Driver

11 Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada.

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Duane G. Froese

12 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada.

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C. Richard Harington

13 Canadian Museum of Nature (Paleobiology), Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4, Canada.

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Grant Keddie

14 Department of Archaeology, Royal British Columbia Museum, 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1X4, Canada.

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Pavel Kosintsev

15 Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 202 8 Martas Street, Ekaterinburg 620144, Russia.

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Michael L. Kunz

16 Bureau of Land Management, 1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99708 USA.

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Larry D. Martin

17 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.

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Robert O. Stephenson

18 Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA.

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John Storer

19 Yukon Paleontologist, Heritage Resources, Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory YTY1A 2C6, Canada.

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Richard Tedford

20 Department of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.

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Sergei Zimov

10 North-East Scientific Station of Russian Academy of Science, Post Office Box 18, Cherskii, Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Russia.

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Alan Cooper

1 Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

2 Department of Zoology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX13PS, UK.

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For correspondence: alan.cooper@zoo.ox.ac.uk

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A sharp decline in the genetic diversity of fossil bison in Eastern Siberia and North America began about 35,000 years ago, when glaciers were advancing, not later when human hunting peaked.

Rise and Fall of the Beringian Steppe Bison

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