Halbert et al. (2012) analyzed microsatellite genotypes collected from 661 Yellowstone bison sampled during winters from 1999 to 2003 and identified 2 genetically distinct subpopulations (central, northern) based on genotypic diversity and allelic distributions. On the basis of these findings, they raised concerns about the management and long-term conservation of Yellowstone bison because of d...

Criticism has been levelled at climate-change-induced forecasts of species range shifts that do not account explicitly for complex population dynamics. The relative importance of such dynamics under climate change is, however, undetermined because direct tests comparing the performance of demographic models vs. simpler ecological niche models are still lacking owing to difficulties in evaluatin...

Whether urban parks can maintain viable and self-sustaining populations over the long term is questionable. In highly urbanized landscapes, urban parks could play a role in biodiversity conservation by providing habitat and resources to native species. However, populations inhabiting urban parks are usually small and isolated, leading to increased demographic stochasticity and genetic drift, wi...

The parasitic nature of the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is believed to have developed as a result of its association with the bison (Bison bison). Cowbirds subsisted on insects flushed by herds of bison, however, the nomadic nature of the bison made it impossible for cowbirds to remain with the herd and simultaneously perform nesting activities. Theoretically the evolution of parasiti...

The full course of new parasite introductions in wild animals is difficult to accurately trace. We documented and analysed the invasive blood-sucking nematode Ashworthius sidemi (Trichostrongylidae) introduction and spread in European bison (Bison bonasus) from the initial phase of its progression. In the Polish part of the Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF) the parasite was first found in 2000. ...

The objectives of this analysis were to estimate historic (pre-European settlement) enteric CH(4) emissions from wild ruminants in the contiguous United States and compare these with present-day CH(4) emissions from farmed ruminants. The analysis included bison, elk (wapiti), and deer (white-tailed and mule). Wild ruminants such as moose, antelope (pronghorn), caribou, and mountain sheep and go...

39 Throughout the history of Great Plains grasslands, North American bison (Bos bison, also known as Bison bison; Jones et al. 1992) and other large herbivores were abundant and conspicuous components of the biota (Wedel 1961, Stebbins 1981). Many of the earliest herbivores, particularly those that were primarily browsers, are now extinct, but their consumption of woody vegetation is thought to...

Being faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in which ecological flexibility might have enabled them to expand their range considerably, and to colon...

BACKGROUND Improved maps of species distributions are important for effective management of wildlife under increasing anthropogenic pressures. Recent advances in lidar and radar remote sensing have shown considerable potential for mapping forest structure and habitat characteristics across landscapes. However, their relative efficacies and integrated use in habitat mapping remain largely unexpl...