Comparison of blood characteristics in plains bison, wood bison, and their hybrids.

Abstract

Two hundred and eight blood samples were collected from four plains bison herds, one wood bison herd, and one herd that is assumed to be a hybrid between wood and plains bison. Haemolytic tests were made using 13 cattle blood typing reagents. Red cell carbonic anhydrase alleles were checked using electrophoresis. The frequencies of each blood trait within each of the six herds were determined. Comparisons of all possible pairs of herds for each trait were made and at least two significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in every case. Ten blood characteristics were used to discriminate among the six herds. Bison from Santa Catalina Island, California, were similar to those from the National Bison Range, Montana, and they jointly differed from the herd from Oklahoma and the three from Canada. The Canadian herds, which included wood bison, hybrid bison, and plains bison, were relatively similar to each other. Differences among the plains bison herds were at least as great as those among the two subspecies and their hybrids. These findings are discussed in relation to herd histories and to the variability among North American bison populations.