These are the LGM Ice Age refugees.
Posted on 11/24/2007 10:37:08 AM PST by blam
Bear hunting altered genetics more than Ice Age isolation
23 November 2007
It was not the isolation of the Ice Age that determined the genetic distribution of bears, as has long been thought. This is shown by an international research team led from Uppsala University in Sweden in the latest issue of Molecular Ecology. One possible interpretation is that the hunting of bears by humans and human land use have been crucial factors.
Twenty thousand years ago Europe was covered by ice down to Germany, and the climate in the rest of Europe was such that several species were confined to the southern regions, like the Iberian Peninsula and Italy. These regions were refuges, areas where species could survive during cold periods and then re-colonize central and northern Europe when it got warmer. But the brown bear was not limited to these regionsit could roam freely across major parts of southern and central Europe. The current study analyzed mitochondria from bear remains. Some of the fossils are 20,000 years old. The analysis shows that the genetic pattern in these ancient brown bears differed from that of bears living today.
“Previously today’s genetic structure was interpreted as showing that the brown bear was isolated in southern Europe, just like many other species. But our study shows that this was not the case,” says Love Dalén, one of the Swedes participating in the study.
The new findings show instead that the brown bear survived in central Europe, even during the coldest period of the Ice Age. The scientists now believe that the genetic pattern found in today’s brown bears is the result of historical hunting and of human activities in the brown bear’s natural environment. A few thousand years ago, there were brown bears all over Europe, while today there are just a few remaining populations in Spain, Italy, the Balkans, and Scandinavia.
“It’s not strange that findings were interpreted differently in the past, with the brown bear extinct in most of its old area of inhabitation. We only had the remnant populations to work with,” says Anders Götherstam, who directed the study.
The study was carried out in collaboration between Swedish researchers and colleagues in Spain, the U.K., Germany, and France. It is published in the journal Molecular Biology. The Swedish team also includes the researcher Cecilia Anderung.
These are the LGM Ice Age refugees.
GGG Ping.
Kinda funny - the EUropeans lecture us about the environment - meanwhile the US is teeming with wildlife and ‘endangered’ species are nearly universally flourishing, while Europe is largely devoid of large wild animals.
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Thanks Blam. Adovasio discusses the bear DNA studies. That book got much more interesting in the second half. :') |
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Thanks, I have that book...I’ll have to reread it.
The European Serf system then Communism meant that wild animals were seen as food for more people and for a longer period of time then in the US.
In the US in the 30’s, the domestic population of Deer was decimated to the point of near catastrophe.
Greek Brown Bear
A little off topic, a good question to get a good deer in the headlights stare from an enviro-whacko is ask him/her “exactly how many Bald Eagles are considered enough in the U.S.?”
“LGM” used to mean “Little Green Men”, a kind of science fiction disdained by Astounding/Analog readers.
No, but I’ve seen enough teddy bears to know that somewhere in the world someone is selling a Greek one. The Greeks must be smart, since most of the others don’t talk. “Taki the Greek-speaking Bear” is all over the Internet.
My theory is that the ice-bear population also affected the genetic evolution of humans.
Shoemakers became the most coveted mates for females, especially those who could produce lightweight but sturdy footwear for fleeing at the absolute maximum rate.
Do you remember what "BEM"s were? They fit into the same category.
“BEM”
Bug-eyed monsters.
Aloha, fellow geezers.
Oops, sorry, I didn’t see this posting before I sent you the link.
:’) I’ll resist the temptation to call that a “Boo-Boo”. ;’)
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