Late Pleistocene onset of mutualistic human/canid ( <i>Canis</i> spp.) relationships in subarctic Alaska

Large canids (wolves, dogs, and coyote) and people form a close relationship in northern (subarctic and arctic) socioecological systems. Here, we document the antiquity of this bond and the multiple ways it manifested in interior Alaska, a region key to understanding the peopling of the Americas and early northern lifeways. We compile original and existing genomic, isotopic, and osteological canid data from archaeological, paleontological, and modern sites. Results show that in contrast to canids recovered in non-anthropic contexts, canids recovered in association with human occupations are markedly diverse. They include multiple species and intraspecific lineages, morphological variation, and diets ranging from terrestrial to marine. This variation is expressed along both geographic and temporal gradients, starting in the terminal Pleistocene with canids showing high marine dietary estimates. This paper provides evidence of the multiple ecological relationships between canids and people in the north-from predation, probable commensalism, and taming, to domestication-and of their early onset.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2024-12-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads1335
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.55
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article

Late Pleistocene onset of mutualistic human/canid ( Canis spp.) relationships in subarctic Alaska

Scott Shirar, François Lanoë, Kelsey E. Witt, Stanley Fields et al.
3 citations
Science Advances
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
2.55
article

Late Pleistocene onset of mutualistic human/canid ( Canis spp.) relationships in subarctic Alaska

Scott Shirar, François Lanoë, Kelsey E. Witt, Stanley Fields, Joshua D. Reuther, Ben A. Potter, Holly McKinney, Brian M. Kemp, Charles E. Holmes, Ripan S. Malhi, Robert A. Sattler, Ryan Frome, Carrin M. Halffman, Gerad M. Smith, Kyndall Hildebrandt, Barbara A. Crass, Alida de Flamingh, Robin Mills
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Large canids (wolves, dogs, and coyote) and people form a close relationship in northern (subarctic and arctic) socioecological systems. Here, we document the antiquity of this bond and the multiple ways it manifested in interior Alaska, a region key to understanding the peopling of the Americas and early northern lifeways. We compile original and existing genomic, isotopic, and osteological canid data from archaeological, paleontological, and modern sites. Results show that in contrast to canids recovered in non-anthropic contexts, canids recovered in association with human occupations are markedly diverse. They include multiple species and intraspecific lineages, morphological variation, and diets ranging from terrestrial to marine. This variation is expressed along both geographic and temporal gradients, starting in the terminal Pleistocene with canids showing high marine dietary estimates. This paper provides evidence of the multiple ecological relationships between canids and people in the north-from predation, probable commensalism, and taming, to domestication-and of their early onset.

Science AdvancesVol. 10(49)
Bureau of Land Management (US), University of Arizona (US), University of Alaska Fairbanks (US), University of Alaska Anchorage (US), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US), Tanana Chiefs Conference (US), Clemson University (US), University of Oklahoma (US)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
2.55
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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