Population reconstructions for humans and megafauna suggest mixed causes for North American Pleistocene extinctions

Much of the North American megafauna went extinct in the late Pleistocene, but the causes are debated. Here the authors analyze human and megafaunal population dynamics in Pleistocene North America and find variation among taxa and region in whether hunting, climate or both best predict extinction.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jack M. Broughton, Elic M. Weitzel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018-12-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07897-1
Description
Summary:Much of the North American megafauna went extinct in the late Pleistocene, but the causes are debated. Here the authors analyze human and megafaunal population dynamics in Pleistocene North America and find variation among taxa and region in whether hunting, climate or both best predict extinction.
ISSN:2041-1723