Bison Athabascae Research Articles

Bison and elk spatiotemporal interactions in Elk Island National Park

Elk Island National Park (EINP) is a fenced park in the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of central Alberta where aspen parkland is being conserved. This area maintains high densities of native ungulates including elk (Cervus elaphus), bison (Bison bison bison, B. bison athabascae), moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and mule deer (O. hemionus). Our objective was to evaluate spatiotemporal overlap and interspecific interactions between bison and elk in EINP using camera traps. Bison and elk have overlapping habitat use and diet and are the primary focus of ungulate management in EINP. We examined distributions of both species in relation to season, landscape characteristics, anthropogenic features, and heterospecifics using generalized linear models (GLMs). We then examined seasonal daily activity patterns of bison and elk and calculated the degree of overlap. The spatial analysis revealed that bison counts were positively associated with higher proportions of open habitats across seasons and in areas farther from water in summer and fall but had no associations with distance to water during winter. Bison removal year (years during which bison removals were conducted by Parks Canada) was a significant predictor variable for bison counts in winter when the bison roundup takes place. Elk avoided areas with high linear feature density across seasons. During fall and winter, we observed higher elk counts associated with bison presence. Temporal activity patterns revealed that elk were crepuscular in all three seasons, but bison activity patterns varied with diurnal activity being more common in the summer, crepuscular activity in winter, and intermediate activity patterns during fall. Coefficients of overlap between elk and bison were high in all three seasons with the greatest difference in daily activity patterns in summer and the highest overlap in winter when both species showed strong crepuscular activity. Despite the fenced perimeter in EINP resulting in high ungulate densities, limited dispersal, and low predation, our data show patterns of habitat use and interactions between bison and elk that were similar to those in other systems. Spatiotemporal partitioning does not appear necessary for coexistence of bison and elk in the aspen parkland.

The Yukagir Bison: The exterior morphology of a complete frozen mummy of the extinct steppe bison, Bison priscus from the early Holocene of northern Yakutia, Russia

The paper presents analyses of the exterior morphology of one of the extinct and dominating species of the Late Pleistocene megafauna of Eurasia, the steppe bison, Bison priscus. The frozen mummy of the Yukagir Bison found in northern Yakutia, Russia represents the most complete specimen of this species in the world. It belongs to a young, 4.1–4.5 year old male, which dates back about 10,500 cal BP. The analyses revealed that the overall size of this specimen was comparable to a 6-year old European and American bison. Its horn spread falls within the upper limits of B. bison athabascae and B. bison bison males, as well as within the average sizes of B. priscus occidentalis from East Siberia and North America. While most of the not fully-grown Yukagir Bison body size fell within the average parameters of both grown modern species, the body and hind foot lengths were closer to the lower limits of the European bison. The color and hair pattern appeared to be close to the Blue Babe mummy (B. priscus) and modern Wood bison (modern morphotype of B. bison athabascae) and European (B. bonasus) bison. The geological age of the Yukagir Bison, along with the data from other specimens indicate that this species, which survived the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, became rare but was still widely distributed in the northern part of centraleastern Siberia until about 8000 years ago. The juxtaposed data from arctic latitude sediments and the Bison priscus stomach content pollen indicate that it was selective grazer in the environment dominated by unfavorable shrub and forest-tundra vegetation. The scarce Holocene steppe bison remains in Eastern Siberia reflects the dramatic decrease of suitable habitats and pastures during the early Holocene climatic optimum in the high Arctic, which was a major factor of irreversible population fragmentation and decline leading to the species' extinction.

Genome variability in European and American bison detected using the BovineSNP50 BeadChip

The remaining wild populations of bison have all been through severe bottlenecks. The genomic consequences of these bottlenecks present an interesting area to study. Using a very large panel of SNPs developed in Bos taurus we have carried out a genome-wide screening on the European bison (Bison bonasus; EB) and on two subspecies of American bison: the plains bison (B. bison bison; PB) and the wood bison (B. bison athabascae; WB). One hundred bison samples were genotyped for 52,978 SNPs along with seven breeds of domestic bovine Bos taurus. Only 2,209 of the SNPs were polymorphic in the bison when EB, PB and WB were pooled and only 929 SNPs were polymorphic in EB. Larger numbers of polymorphic SNPs were found in PB (1,403 SNPs) and WB (1,524 SNPs). Also the expected heterozygosity was lower in EB (HE = 0.135) than in WB (HE = 0.197) and PB (HE = 0.199). The polymorphic SNPs were not randomly distributed in the bison, but were aggregated and separated from each other by regions with low haplotype diversity (haplotype blocks). Based on our results we suggest that the utilization of genome-wide screening technologies holds large potential to radically change the breeding practices in captive or managed populations of threatened populations and advocate for developing marker assisted selected strategies in such populations.

Trace Metal and Persistent Organochlorine Levels in Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) from the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary

Abstract Tissue samples were collected from ten healthy mature female wood bison (B. bison athabascae) for examination. Livers and kidneys were tested for toxic heavy metals and trace metals considered as essential nutrients for successful reproduction, while fat samples were analyzed for persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons. No elevated levels of toxic heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) were found and essential trace elements (copper, manganese, selenium, zinc) were within the acceptable ranges established for healthy cattle. All fat samples tested contained trace levels of α-BHC (mean value, 23 ppb) and lindane (mean value, 3 ppb).