Assessment of Prehistoric Bison Foraging and Movement Patterns Via Stable-Carbon Isotopic Analysis

Whether or not bison made regular seasonal movements in the Northern Plains has generated some controversy in archaeology, yet there has been little empirical data to support or refute the hypothesis that bison made seasonal migrations. The various vegetation zones through which seasonal movements may have been made contain varying amounts of C3 and C4 plants. If bison did make seasonal movements, preserved bone collagen should exhibit fairly constant 12 C: 13 C ratios, regardless of from which vegetation zone bison bones are sampled. Measurement of this ratio in samples of prehistoric bison from Canada suggests that seasonal movements were made between the plains and the parkland in Alberta. No seasonal movements were detectable in Peace River bison. Larger samples are required to understand seasonal movements in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.