Decoding the North American bison's genome to better inform conservation efforts
A new study by ancient DNA researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, used paleogenomics to create a genetic roadmap to help guide the restoration of another iconic species once on the brink of extinction: the North American bison.
A groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Science sheds light on the genetic makeup of North American bison, offering invaluable insights for their conservation. By utilizing ancient DNA, researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz, have constructed a comprehensive genetic roadmap that traces the species' history from its peak of tens of millions of individuals to its current population of hundreds of thousands.
The study, led by senior author Dr. Beth Shapiro, reveals that human activities at the turn of the 20th century, including hunting, habitat destruction, and government eradication efforts, caused the bison population to plummet to just a few hundred. While bison have since recovered, management practices that confined them to small, isolated herds and, in some cases, crossbred them with cattle have obscured their historical genetic diversity.
This has made it challenging for conservationists to breed bison with optimal genetic health for restoration. The research team assembled the largest genomic dataset ever for bison, encompassing genomes from 160 pre-collapse bison living over 20,000 years ago and 45 recent bison from the past century. By comparing these ancient genomes with 52 modern ones, they uncovered key differences between the wood and plains subspecies of bison.
Wood bison, found in northern Canada and Alaska, are larger with a distinct hump, cape, and beard, while plains bison, inhabiting open grasslands and prairies, are lighter with a more pronounced hump. The study found that modern wood bison have varying degrees of plains bison ancestry, ranging from 7% to 64%, largely due to the Canadian government's translocation of plains bison into Wood Buffalo National Park.
Despite this genetic blending, the research confirms that wood and plains bison are genetically distinct and should be managed separately to preserve their unique traits. The findings also highlight the importance of cultural relationships with bison, particularly among Indigenous peoples, emphasizing that conservation efforts must respect and integrate these socioecological connections.
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