Caribou history linked to volcanic eruption
Tyler Kuhn, 867.393.7147 (w), 867.334.5633 (h); tskuhn@sfu.ca
Dr. Arne Mooers, 604.254.4939 (h), 604.818.1627 (c); amooers@sfu.ca; www.sfu.ca/~amooers/
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
DNA recovered from ancient caribou bones by a Simon Fraser University graduate researcher indicates a possible link between several small unique caribou herds and a massive volcanic eruption that blanketed much of the Yukon in a thick layer of ash 1,000 years ago.
That’s just part of the story being read from ancient caribou remains by an international team of scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Canada who have been studying the history of this iconic and fragile Canadian species.
The research appears online today (Feb 23) in the international journal Molecular Ecology.
Tyler Kuhn, a Whitehorse native and SFU grad student, was able to coax short bits of ancient DNA from caribou bones found in 6,000-yr-old ice patches (now melting) scattered across an area just north of the British Columbia border.
He and colleagues from Alberta, Alaska, Pennsylvania and Oxford compared the ancient DNA with DNA from caribou living nearby today. To their surprise, DNA from bones older than 1,000 years in the Whitehorse area did not match with the local caribou grazing nearby.
The modern caribou also turn out not to be related to caribou herds to the North, East or West. They represent new arrivals, possibly from farther south, though the caribou currently living just south are ecologically very different.
Critically, the 1,000-yr-old replacements coincide nicely with the eruption of a huge volcano in nearby Southern Alaska that deposited a thick layer of ash called the White River Tephra.
The research is the first to identify a possible link between changes in local wildlife and the volcanic eruption.
The eruption has already been linked to major changes in the cultures of the First Nations from the region, marking the razor-sharp transition between the atl-atl (throwing dart) hunting technology and newer and more effective bow and arrow technology.
Kuhn and his colleagues believe this surprising decoding of the history of caribou herds in the Yukon is more than just a scientific curiosity. “Most woodland caribou herds in Canada are threatened, and their survival will likely depend on our ability to act in the best interest of these herds,” says Kuhn.
“Understanding the relationships among herds is important, but understanding how herds react to environmental changes through time is equally necessary for us to manage caribou properly.”
List of Authors:
Tyler Kuhn, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada.
Tel: (PST) 867.393.7147 (w), 867.334.5633 (h); Email: tskuhn@sfu.ca
Dr. Arne Mooers, Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada.
Tel: (PST) 604.254.4939; Email: amooers@sfu.ca; www.sfu.ca/~amooers/
Dr. Keri McFarlane, King's University College, AB, Canada. Email: keri.mcfarlane@kingsu.ca
Dr. Pam Groves, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK, USA. Email: pgroves@alaska.edu
Dr. Beth Shapiro, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA. Email: beth.shapiro@psu.edu
Individuals who might offer independent and knowledgeable commentary:
Dr. Grant Zazula, Yukon Palaeontology, Yukon Government, YT, Canada.
Tel: (PST) 867.667.8089; Email: grant.zazula@gov.yk.ca; http://www.yukonheritage.com/
Dr. Greg Hare, Archaeologist, Yukon Government, YT, Canada.
Tel: (PST) 867.667.3771; Email: greg.hare@gov.yk.ca; http://www.yukonheritage.com/
Prof. Robert Wayne, UCLA, CA USA. Tel: (PST) 310.206.0334; Email: rwayne@biology.ucla.edu