52,000 years of woolly rhinoceros population dynamics reveal extinction mechanisms
Abstract
Using a computationally intensive modeling approach and extensive paleontological and ancient DNA information, we reveal how and why the woolly rhinoceros went extinct at a fine spatiotemporal resolution. Our population reconstructions indicate that a combination of climate-driven habitat fragmentation and low but persistent levels of hunting by humans weakened metapopulation processes and caused their extinction. Our results provide a deeper understanding of the structure and dynamics of past extinctions of megafauna, simultaneously providing valuable lessons to safeguard Earth's remaining large animals.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- June 2024
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2024PNAS..12116419F