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 …