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Postglacial viability and colonization in North America’s ice-free corridor

Author

Listed:
  • Mikkel W. Pedersen

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen)

  • Anthony Ruter

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen)

  • Charles Schweger

    (University of Alberta)

  • Harvey Friebe

    (University of Alberta)

  • Richard A. Staff

    (School of Archaeology, University of Oxford)

  • Kristian K. Kjeldsen

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen
    University of Ottawa)

  • Marie L. Z. Mendoza

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen)

  • Alwynne B. Beaudoin

    (Royal Alberta Museum)

  • Cynthia Zutter

    (MacEwan University)

  • Nicolaj K. Larsen

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen
    Aarhus University)

  • Ben A. Potter

    (University of Alaska Fairbanks)

  • Rasmus Nielsen

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen
    University of California
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Rebecca A. Rainville

    (University of Calgary)

  • Ludovic Orlando

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen)

  • David J. Meltzer

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen
    Southern Methodist University)

  • Kurt H. Kjær

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen)

  • Eske Willerslev

    (Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen
    University of Cambridge
    Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)

Abstract

During the Last Glacial Maximum, continental ice sheets isolated Beringia (northeast Siberia and northwest North America) from unglaciated North America. By around 15 to 14 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. kyr bp), glacial retreat opened an approximately 1,500-km-long corridor between the ice sheets. It remains unclear when plants and animals colonized this corridor and it became biologically viable for human migration. We obtained radiocarbon dates, pollen, macrofossils and metagenomic DNA from lake sediment cores in a bottleneck portion of the corridor. We find evidence of steppe vegetation, bison and mammoth by approximately 12.6 cal. kyr bp, followed by open forest, with evidence of moose and elk at about 11.5 cal. kyr bp, and boreal forest approximately 10 cal. kyr bp. Our findings reveal that the first Americans, whether Clovis or earlier groups in unglaciated North America before 12.6 cal. kyr bp , are unlikely to have travelled by this route into the Americas. However, later groups may have used this north–south passageway.

Suggested Citation

  • Mikkel W. Pedersen & Anthony Ruter & Charles Schweger & Harvey Friebe & Richard A. Staff & Kristian K. Kjeldsen & Marie L. Z. Mendoza & Alwynne B. Beaudoin & Cynthia Zutter & Nicolaj K. Larsen & Ben A, 2016. "Postglacial viability and colonization in North America’s ice-free corridor," Nature, Nature, vol. 537(7618), pages 45-49, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:537:y:2016:i:7618:d:10.1038_nature19085
    DOI: 10.1038/nature19085
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    Cited by:

    1. Heike H. Zimmermann & Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring & Viktor Dinkel & Lars Harms & Luise Schulte & Marc-Thorsten Hütt & Dirk Nürnberg & Ralf Tiedemann & Ulrike Herzschuh, 2023. "Marine ecosystem shifts with deglacial sea-ice loss inferred from ancient DNA shotgun sequencing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Frédérik Saltré & Joël Chadœuf & Thomas Higham & Monty Ochocki & Sebastián Block & Ellyse Bunney & Bastien Llamas & Corey J. A. Bradshaw, 2024. "Environmental conditions associated with initial northern expansion of anatomically modern humans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

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