A Biogeographic History of the Plains Bison Focusing on Population and Range Dynamics

• Main Author: Roman, Grace
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: ValpoScholar 2015
• Subjects: Bering Land Bridge; Plains Bison
• Online Access: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/398; https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1428&context=cus

Early bison originated in Asia and migrated to North America by means of the Bering Land Bridge, which opened around 600,000 years ago. Just after the Wisconsin glaciation (11, 700 years ago), there were two allopatric species of bison residing in North American - the plains bison (Bos bison bison), and the woodland bison (Bos bison athabasce). European explorers and settlers recorded incredible numbers of bison in most parts of the present day United States. Bison thrived in North America until the mid-19th century, but experienced a drastic decline in population from about 60 million to only 1,000 as European settlers headed west. Currently, 95% of extant bison are part of industrial corporations that raise them for their meat and other byproducts. This paper explores the natural history, geographic distribution, near extinction, recovery, and current status of the bison within the United States.