Abstract
A computer simulation of North American end-Pleistocene human and large herbivore population dynamics correctly predicts the extinction or survival of 32 out of 41 prey species. Slow human population growth rates, random hunting, and low maximum hunting effort are assumed; additional parameters are based on published values. Predictions are dose to observed values for overall extinction rates, human population densities, game consumption rates, and the temporal overlap of humans and extinct species. Results are robust to variation in unconstrained parameters. This fully mechanistic model accounts for megafaunal extinction without invoking climate change and secondary ecological effects.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1893-1896 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 292 |
Issue number | 5523 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 8 Jun 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Corrigendum can be found in Science, 293(5538), p. 2205.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.293.5538.2205