PORTRAITS OF THE BISON
An Illustrated Guide to Bison Society
The University of Alberta Press 2005
"Often when I am setting quietly along the edge of a stream watching a bull drink, his beard floating downstream, or resting with my back against a tree trunk along the outer edge of a forest, or sitting in the centre of a meadow surrounded by these great, massive, furry beasts, I marvel at my luck and my good fortune to be able to share that space and time with them . . . Every time I experience these little things, I treasure them and I give silent thanks to the people who had the foresight to protect the last remnants of this magnificent species."
Wes Olson 1954 -
Senior Park Warden
Grasslands National Park, SK
Parks Canada
Book photos by Johane Janelle
Johanes photography
Grasslands National Park
Parks Canada
 |
 BISON PHENOTYPE
Bison bison athabascae
TAXONOMY
Genus (Bison): the main subdivision of a family, including one or more species with common distinguishing
characteristics.
Species (bison): a group of organisms consisting of individuals capable of exchanging genes and inter-
breeding, producing fertile offspring.
Subspecies (bison or athabascae) designates a morphologically or physiologically distinguishable and
geographically isolated group whose members interbreed successfully with other subspecies
of the species where their ranges overlap.
PHENOTYPE
 The term phenotype derives from the Greek root 'phain' (to appear) and connotes the particular expression of a gene, known as a trait. Phenotype is also used as a collective term to refer to the sum of the traits that characterize an organism. The genotype of any individual organism is relatively stable throughout its lifetime, whereas its phenotype will vary, depending on its state of development, environmental influences, and so on. The phenotype, in short, includes all the products or manifestations of the organisms' genes (the amino acid sequences of its proteins, its enzyme activities, its appearance and even its behavior) while the genotype is synonymous with the collection of genes in the organisms' chromosomes.
Ursula Goodenough; Genetics, Harvard University
BASIC ASSESSMENT TRAITS
Bison subspecies can be differentiated in the field by observing the following basic phenotypic traits:
Chaps: the long hairs along the posterior side of the front legs, from the underside of the chest to below the
knees.
Ventral Neck Mane: the brisket or mane that begins between the front legs forward to the throat latch.
Throat Latch: the narrowest region of the neck, just before the posterior edge of the beard.
Beard: the long hair that hangs from the jaw, between the throat latch and chin.
Cap Edge: the demarcation between the dense coat covering the neck and shoulders, and the short hairs of
the rib cage and loins.
The fact that bison are sexually dimorphic (males being larger than females) makes phenotypic assessments easier to conduct. However; being seasonally dimorphic (pelage length and pattern variance in summer vs. winter) requires field comparisons to be conducted in summer when the differences are greatest between subspecies.
Wes Olson; A Phenotypic and Body Condition Assessment Guide for Plains and Woods Bison
|
