Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Global Climate Change01:50

Global Climate Change

29.0K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
29.0K
What is Climate?01:16

What is Climate?

20.9K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
20.9K
Cell Size01:22

Cell Size

130.2K
Cell sizes vary widely among and within organisms. Bacterial cells range between 1-10 micrometers (μm)and are considerably smaller than most eukaryotic cells. The smallest bacteria are 0.1 μm in diameter—about a thousand times smaller than eukaryotic cells, which typically range from 10-100 μm.
Surface Area
Cells can take in nutrients and water via diffusion through the plasma membrane itself or through specific channels in the membrane. The area of the membrane surrounding...
130.2K
Rates of Change01:20

Rates of Change

132
The rate of change is a central concept in mathematics that quantifies how one variable varies in response to another. It serves as a foundational tool in modeling dynamic systems across disciplines such as physics, biology, economics, and engineering. Understanding both average and instantaneous rates of change enables the analysis of behavior in functions that describe real-world phenomena.Average Rate of ChangeFor a function f(x) defined over an interval [x1,x2], the average rate of change...
132
Work Done During Volume Change01:17

Work Done During Volume Change

5.2K
In mechanics, work is done on an object when the force acting on it displaces the object. In thermodynamics, work done on a system can be estimated when the system's volume changes during any thermodynamic process.
Consider a gas confined to a cylinder fitted with a movable piston at one end. If the gas expands from volume V1 to volume V2, it exerts a force on the piston, such that the piston moves by a distance dr.
The work done by the gas on the piston can be expressed as
5.2K
Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Temperature02:19

Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Temperature

35.6K
Consistent with the law of mass action, an equilibrium stressed by a change in concentration will shift to re-establish equilibrium without any change in the value of the equilibrium constant, K. When an equilibrium shifts in response to a temperature change, however, it is re-established with a different relative composition that exhibits a different value for the equilibrium constant.
To understand this phenomenon, consider the elementary reaction:
35.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Estimating Mineral Requirements of Wild Herbivores: Modelling Arctic Caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus granti</i>) in Summer.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2024
Same author

Integrated evidence-based extent of occurrence for North American bison (Bison bison) since 1500 CE and before.

Ecology·2022
Same author

Dynamic selection for forage quality and quantity in response to phenology and insects in an Arctic ungulate.

Ecology and evolution·2021
Same author

Trace mineral supplies for populations of little and large herbivores.

PloS one·2021
Same author

Decadal heat and drought drive body size of North American bison (<i>Bison bison</i>) along the Great Plains.

Ecology and evolution·2020
Same author

Is summer food intake a limiting factor for boreal browsers? Diet, temperature, and reproduction as drivers of consumption in female moose.

PloS one·2019

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
06:10

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

1.5K

Bison body size and climate change.

Jeff M Martin1,2, Jim I Mead2,3,4, Perry S Barboza1

  • 1Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Texas A&M University College Station TX USA.

Ecology and Evolution
|May 16, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Bison body mass has decreased significantly over the last 40,000 years as global temperatures have risen. Continued warming may further reduce bison size, impacting large grazers.

Keywords:
Bergmann’s ruleNorth Americabody size changeclimate changefossilungulate

More Related Videos

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
06:00

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila

Published on: October 1, 2011

14.4K
Using RNA-mediated Interference Feeding Strategy to Screen for Genes Involved in Body Size Regulation in the Nematode C. elegans
11:22

Using RNA-mediated Interference Feeding Strategy to Screen for Genes Involved in Body Size Regulation in the Nematode C. elegans

Published on: February 13, 2013

12.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
06:10

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions

Published on: March 31, 2023

1.5K
Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
06:00

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila

Published on: October 1, 2011

14.4K
Using RNA-mediated Interference Feeding Strategy to Screen for Genes Involved in Body Size Regulation in the Nematode C. elegans
11:22

Using RNA-mediated Interference Feeding Strategy to Screen for Genes Involved in Body Size Regulation in the Nematode C. elegans

Published on: February 13, 2013

12.9K

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Climate Science
  • Mammalogy

Background:

  • The relationship between mammal body size and temperature is not well understood, particularly for large species like bison.
  • Bison fossils offer a unique opportunity to study body size changes in relation to past climate variations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term relationship between bison body size and global temperature using fossil records.
  • To predict future changes in bison body mass based on climate change projections.

Main Methods:

  • Measured calcaneal tuber length (DstL) from 849 bison fossils across 60 North American sites.
  • Estimated body mass (M) using the formula M = (DstL/11.49)^3.
  • Reconstructed past temperatures using oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) from Greenland ice cores.

Main Results:

  • Bison body size has declined over the past 40,000 years, with average mass decreasing by 37% from the Last Glacial Maximum to present.
  • Global temperatures have risen by 6°C since the Last Glacial Maximum.
  • A projected 4°C global temperature increase by 2100 could lead to a further 46% decline in bison body mass.

Conclusions:

  • Bison body size is strongly correlated with global temperature, suggesting climate is a primary driver of these changes.
  • Rising global temperatures are likely to continue reducing bison body size, potentially affecting other large grazing mammals.
  • Observed changes in body size are attributed to persistent environmental effects rather than short-term factors like disease or human harvest.