Coprolite deposits reveal the diet and ecology of the extinct New Zealand megaherbivore moa (Aves, Dinornithiformes)

Wood, Jamie R.; Rawlence, Nicolas J.; Rogers, Geoffery M.; Austin, Jeremy J.; Worthy, Trevor H.; Cooper, Alan

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.09.019

Cited by 97 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

115

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The sex ratios also deviated significantly (χ 2 df=1 = 88.3, P << 0.0001) between the 8 two sites, with an overall 1 : 2.2 at BHV but 1 : 14.2 at PV (Table 2). A higher fraction of males at 9 BHV compared to PV was evident within each taxon, and significantly so, except for E. crassus 10 showing a somewhat similar ratio of 1 : 7.6 ratio at PV and a 1 : 6.5 ratio at BHV ( Table 2). Although 11 males were in clear minority at both sites, a much higher proportion of the moa at BHV were males.…”

Section: Species Representationmentioning

confidence: 88%

Highly skewed sex ratios and biased fossil deposition of moa: ancient DNA provides new insight on New Zealand's extinct megafauna

Allentoft

Bunce

Scofield

et al. 2010

Quaternary Science Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

the other three moa taxa combined at BHV. A subsample of 227 individuals had sufficient nuclear 28 DNA preservation to warrant the use of molecular sexing techniques, and the analyses uncovered a 29 remarkable excess of females in both deposits with an overall male to female ratio of 1 : 5.1. Among 30 juveniles of E. curtus, the only species which was represented by a substantial fraction of juveniles, 31 the sex ratio was not skewed (10 ♂, 10 ♀), suggesting that the observed imbalance arose as a result of 32 differential mortality during maturation. Surprisingly, sex ratios proved significantly different 33 between sites with a 1 : 2.2 ratio at BHV (n = 90) and an entire 1 : 14.2 at PV (n = 137). Given the 34 mobility of large ratites, and the proximity of the two fossil assemblages in space and time, these 35 differences in taxonomic and gender composition indicate that moa biology and the local environment 36 have affected the fossil representation dramatically and several possible explanations are offered. 37Apart from adding to our understanding of moa biology, these discoveries reinforce the need for 38 caution when basing interpretation of the fossil record on material from a single site. 39 40

show abstract

Section: Species Representationmentioning

confidence: 88%

Highly skewed sex ratios and biased fossil deposition of moa: ancient DNA provides new insight on New Zealand's extinct megafauna

Allentoft

Bunce

Scofield

et al. 2010

Quaternary Science Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Significant interspecific variation in body size and cranial and beak morphology (41), points to strong dietary niche partitioning between moa species and seems to provide a mechanism to explain the apparent sympatry. However, dietary analyses using only gizzard content samples and coprolites have indicated moa were generalist herbivores and have only provided limited evidence for interspecific diet differences (9,29,(31)(32)(33). We believe this apparent lack of niche partitioning reflects inadequate reconstruction of diets in these studies.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coprolites of extinct large herbivores have been found in dry caves across the world (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12), but for most, the herbivore's identity has only been inferred from associated skeletal remains. Identification of large herbivore coprolites using ancient DNA (aDNA) has thus far been restricted to moa (9) and a limited number of ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) samples (13). However, this approach offers the possibility of detecting hidden diversity within a coprolite deposit (9), thereby allowing the diets and community structure of entire guilds of sympatric large herbivores to be reconstructed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving lost herbivore community structure using coprolites of four sympatric moa species (Aves: Dinornithiformes)

Wood

Wilmshurst

Richardson

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Knowledge of extinct herbivore community structuring is essential for assessing the wider ecological impacts of Quaternary extinctions and determining appropriate taxon substitutes for rewilding. Here, we demonstrate the potential for coprolite studies to progress beyond single-species diet reconstructions to resolving communitylevel detail. The moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) of New Zealand are an intensively studied group of nine extinct herbivore species, yet many details of their diets and community structuring remain unresolved. We provide unique insights into these aspects of moa biology through analyses of a multispecies coprolite assemblage from a rock overhang in a montane river valley in southern New Zealand. Using ancient DNA (aDNA), we identified 51 coprolites, which included specimens from four sympatric moa species. Pollen, plant macrofossils, and plant aDNA from the coprolites chronicle the diets and habitat preferences of these large avian herbivores during the 400 y before their extinction (∼1450 AD). We use the coprolite data to develop a paleoecological niche model in which moa species were partitioned based on both habitat (forest and valley-floor herbfield) and dietary preferences, the latter reflecting allometric relationships between body size, digestive efficiency, and nutritional requirements. Broad ecological niches occupied by South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) and upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) may reflect sexual segregation and seasonal variation in habitat use, respectively. Our results show that moa lack extant ecological analogs, and their extinction represents an irreplaceable loss of function from New Zealand's terrestrial ecosystems. L arge herbivores are integral components of terrestrial ecosystems, playing a major role in shaping the structure and composition of vegetation communities and providing vital ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal (1, 2). Over the last 50,000 y, large herbivore populations on most landmasses have either gone extinct or been decimated (3), often with significant consequences for local vegetation communities (1, 4, 5). Paleodietary data for extinct large herbivores, and an understanding of how prehistoric large herbivore communities were structured, are therefore important for assessing the full ecological impact of Late Quaternary extinctions. Such information can provide a baseline for attempts to restore the lost ecological functions once provided by extinct herbivores (6). Coprolites provide the strongest potential resource for directly studying the diets and community structure of extinct species. Coprolites of extinct large herbivores have been found in dry caves across the world (7-12), but for most, the herbivore's identity has only been inferred from associated skeletal remains. Identification of large herbivore coprolites using ancient DNA (aDNA) has thus far been restricted to moa (9) and a limited number of ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) samples (13). However, this approach offers the possibility of detecting hidde...

show abstract

“…To identify moa species, we used two overlapping primer pairs (185F/294R, 262F/429R) targeting the mitochondrial DNA control region (Cooper et al 2001;Bunce et al 2003). PCR amplification was conducted following Wood et al (2008). PCR products were sequenced in both directions and 'blasted' against the c. 300 moa control region sequences available on GenBank.…”

Section: Species Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Youngest reported radiocarbon age of a moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) dated from a natural site in New Zealand

Rawlence

Cooper

2013

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coprolite deposits reveal the diet and ecology of the extinct New Zealand megaherbivore moa (Aves, Dinornithiformes)

Cited by 97 publications

References 43 publications

Highly skewed sex ratios and biased fossil deposition of moa: ancient DNA provides new insight on New Zealand's extinct megafauna

Highly skewed sex ratios and biased fossil deposition of moa: ancient DNA provides new insight on New Zealand's extinct megafauna

Resolving lost herbivore community structure using coprolites of four sympatric moa species (Aves: Dinornithiformes)

Youngest reported radiocarbon age of a moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) dated from a natural site in New Zealand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About