Population dynamics and range shifts of moose (Alces alces) during the Late Quaternary

Abstract

Aim: Late Quaternary climate oscillations had major impacts on species distributions and abundances across the northern Holarctic. While many large mammals in this region went extinct towards the end of the Quaternary, some species survived and flourished. Here, we examine population dynamics and range shifts of one of the most widely distributed of these, the moose (Alces alces). Location: Northern Holarctic. Taxon: Moose (A. alces). Methods: We collected samples of modern and ancient moose from across their present and former range. We assessed their phylogeographical relations using part of the mitochondrial DNA in conjunction with radiocarbon dating to investigate the history of A. alces during the last glacial. Results: This species has a relatively shallow history, with the most recent common ancestor estimated at ca. 150-50 kyr. Ancient samples corroborate that its region of greatest diversity is in east Asia, supporting proposals that this is the region of origin of all extant moose. Both eastern and western haplogroups occur in the Ural Mountains during the last glacial period, implying a broader contact zone than previously proposed. It seems that this species went extinct over much of its northern range during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and recolonized the region with climate warming beginning around 15,000 yr bp. The post-LGM expansion included a movement from northeast Siberia to North America via Beringia, although the northeast Siberian source population is not the one currently occupying that area. Main conclusions: Moose are a relatively recently evolved species but have had a dynamic history. As a large-bodied subarctic browsing species, they were seemingly confined to refugia during full-glacial periods and expanded their range northwards when the boreal forest returned after the LGM. The main modern phylogeographical division is ancient, though its boundary has not remained constant. Moose population expansion into America was roughly synchronous with human and red deer expansion.

Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge

“…Our data show that horses dispersed back into North America from Eurasia around the same time as the initial expansion of bison, brown bears and lions through the BLB (Froese et al, 2017; Salis et al, 2020). When present, the BLB clearly played a key role as a bicontinental dispersal corridor for many taxa, including ones that used it more than once (Debruyne et al, 2008; Elias & Crocker, 2008; Froese et al, 2017; Meiri et al, 2014, 2020). This Ice Age fauna thrived on the Mammoth Steppe, the widespread steppe–tundra biome present in Beringia during cold periods of the Pleistocene (Guthrie, 1982; Zimov et al, 2012).…”

“…When present, the BLB clearly played a key role as a bicontinental dispersal corridor for many taxa, including ones that used it more than once (Debruyne et al, 2008;Elias & Crocker, 2008;Froese et al, 2017;Meiri et al, 2014Meiri et al, , 2020. This Ice Age fauna thrived on the Mammoth Steppe, the widespread steppe-tundra biome present in Beringia during cold periods of the Pleistocene (Guthrie, 1982;Zimov et al, 2012).…”

“…If humans crossed over the BLB, as opposed to sailing along its southern coast, they may have done so at this later time as well (Moreno-Mayar et al, 2018). Moose (Alces alces) and wapiti (Cervus elaphus) expanded across the BLB into North America later, ~15 ka (Guthrie, 2006;Meiri et al, 2014Meiri et al, , 2020. By contrast, there is no evidence that the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) dispersed into North America at any time (Guthrie, 2001;Stuart & Lister, 2012).…”

Phylogeography and Re-Evaluation of Evolutionary Rate of Powassan Virus Using Complete Genome Data

“…So, Beringia could be a migration route for people, animals, and plants from Eurasia to North America and vice versa. The evidence of those migrations was obtained in population genetic studies of different animal species [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. MRCA of the modern POWV could exist on the territory of RFE, NA, and Beringia as a single viral population.…”

Population genetics analysis of Tolai hares (Lepus tolai) in Xinjiang, China using genome-wide SNPs from SLAF-seq and mitochondrial markers

“…Climate-driven environmental changes during the Pleistocene influenced the evolution of many terrestrial species (Meiri et al, 2020). However, the influence of climate fluctuation on the Tolai hares population history has not been studied.…”