title: Species-specific responses of Late Quaternary megafauna to climate and humans.
abstract: Despite decades of research, the roles of climate and humans in driving the dramatic extinctions of large-bodied mammals during the Late Quaternary period remain contentious. Here we use ancient DNA, species distribution models and the human fossil record to elucidate how climate and humans shaped the demographic history of woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, wild horse, reindeer, bison and musk ox. We show that climate has been a major driver of population change over the past 50,000 years. However, each species responds differently to the effects of climatic shifts, habitat redistribution and human encroachment. Although climate change alone can explain the extinction of some species, such as Eurasian musk ox and woolly rhinoceros, a combination of climatic and anthropogenic effects appears to be responsible for the extinction of others, including Eurasian steppe bison and wild horse. We find no genetic signature or any distinctive range dynamics distinguishing extinct from surviving species, emphasizing the challenges associated with predicting future responses of extant mammals to climate and human-mediated habitat change.
authors: Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
authors: Eline D
authors: ED
authors: Lorenzen
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Nogués-Bravo
authors: Ludovic
authors: L
authors: Orlando
authors: Jaco
authors: J
authors: Weinstock
authors: Jonas
authors: J
authors: Binladen
authors: Katharine A
authors: KA
authors: Marske
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Ugan
authors: Michael K
authors: MK
authors: Borregaard
authors: M Thomas P
authors: MT
authors: Gilbert
authors: Rasmus
authors: R
authors: Nielsen
authors: Simon Y W
authors: SY
authors: Ho
authors: Ted
authors: T
authors: Goebel
authors: Kelly E
authors: KE
authors: Graf
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Byers
authors: Jesper T
authors: JT
authors: Stenderup
authors: Morten
authors: M
authors: Rasmussen
authors: Paula F
authors: PF
authors: Campos
authors: Jennifer A
authors: JA
authors: Leonard
authors: Klaus-Peter
authors: KP
authors: Koepfli
authors: Duane
authors: D
authors: Froese
authors: Grant
authors: G
authors: Zazula
authors: Thomas W
authors: TW
authors: Stafford
authors: Kim
authors: K
authors: Aaris-Sørensen
authors: Persaram
authors: P
authors: Batra
authors: Alan M
authors: AM
authors: Haywood
authors: Joy S
authors: JS
authors: Singarayer
authors: Paul J
authors: PJ
authors: Valdes
authors: Gennady
authors: G
authors: Boeskorov
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Burns
authors: Sergey P
authors: SP
authors: Davydov
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Haile
authors: Dennis L
authors: DL
authors: Jenkins
authors: Pavel
authors: P
authors: Kosintsev
authors: Tatyana
authors: T
authors: Kuznetsova
authors: Xulong
authors: X
authors: Lai
authors: Larry D
authors: LD
authors: Martin
authors: H Gregory
authors: HG
authors: McDonald
authors: Dick
authors: D
authors: Mol
authors: Morten
authors: M
authors: Meldgaard
authors: Kasper
authors: K
authors: Munch
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Stephan
authors: Mikhail
authors: M
authors: Sablin
authors: Robert S
authors: RS
authors: Sommer
authors: Taras
authors: T
authors: Sipko
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Scott
authors: Marc A
authors: MA
authors: Suchard
authors: Alexei
authors: A
authors: Tikhonov
authors: Rane
authors: R
authors: Willerslev
authors: Robert K
authors: RK
authors: Wayne
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Cooper
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Hofreiter
authors: Andrei
authors: A
authors: Sher
authors: Beth
authors: B
authors: Shapiro
authors: Carsten
authors: C
authors: Rahbek
authors: Eske
authors: E
authors: Willerslev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D058448:Biota; D016164:Bison; D057231:Climate Change / Q000266:history*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005580:Fossils; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D049690:History, Ancient; D006736:Horses; D006802:Human Activities / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D056665:Mammoths; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012053:Reindeer; D012800:Siberia; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial