2025/05/15 by Yvette Running Horse Collin, Clément P. Bataille, Samantha N. Hershauer +52 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Archaeology #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Beringia #Biological dispersal #Biology #Climate change #Ecology #Geography #Habitat #Land bridge #Pleistocene #Population #Species Distribution and Climate Change #Wildlife #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1126/science.adr2355
openalex publication_date 2025/05/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Climate affects habitat, food availability, and the movement and sustainability of all life. In this work, we apply Indigenous and Western scientific methods, including genomics and isotope profiling, on fossils from across Beringia to explore the effect of climate change on horses. We find that Late Pleistocene horses from Alaska and northern Yukon are related to populations from Eurasia and crossed the Bering land bridge multiple times during the last glacial interval. We also find deeply divergent lineages north and south of the American ice sheets that genetically influenced populations across Beringia and into Eurasia. As climate warmed and horses entered the ice-free corridor connecting Beringia and midcontinental America, restricted mobility and food availability impeded population growth. Our combined Western and Indigenous framework offers critical guidance for wildlife conservation amid ongoing climate change.