Eggs of extinct dwarf island emus retained large size

Hume, Julian P.; Robertson, C.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2021.0012

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…For the majority of extinct species, body mass values were not available, and thus, we used those three sources, in addition to Hume (2017), to identify the closest extant relative for each extinct species, and used its body mass value, with some adjustments when the closest relative was known to be bigger or smaller (e.g., see Triantis et al, 2022). Additional studies were used for certain species (e.g., emu species, Hume & Robertson, 2021). In general, these sourced values only represent coarse estimates of extinct species body mass and should only be used in future analyses with this in mind.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Threatened and extinct island endemic birds of the world: Distribution, threats and functional diversity

Matthews

Wayman

Cardoso

et al. 2022

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim The world's islands support disproportionate levels of endemic avian biodiversity despite suffering numerous extinctions. While intensive recent research has focused on island bird conservation or extinction, few global syntheses have considered these factors together from the perspective of morphological trait diversity. Here, we provide a global summary of the status and ecology of extant and extinct island birds, the threats they face and the implications of species loss for island functional diversity. Location Global. Taxon Birds. Methods We provide a review of the literature on threatened and extinct island birds, with a particular focus on global studies that have incorporated functional diversity. Alongside this, we analyse IUCN Red List data in relation to distribution, threats and taxonomy. Using null models and functional hypervolumes, in combination with morphological trait data, we assess the functional diversity represented by threatened and extinct island endemic birds. Results and main conclusions We find that almost half of all island endemic birds extant in 1500 CE are currently either extinct or threatened with extinction, with the majority of threatened extant species having declining population trends. We also found evidence of 66 island endemic subspecies extinctions. The primary threats to extant island endemic birds currently are agriculture, biological resource use, and invasive species. While there is overlap between the hotspots of threatened and extinct island endemics birds, there are some notable differences, including the Philippines and Indonesia, which support a substantial number of threatened species but have no recorded post‐1500 CE bird extinctions. Traits associated with threatened island endemic birds are large body mass, flightlessness, aquatic predator, omnivorous and vertivorous trophic niches, marine habitat affinity, and, paradoxically, higher dispersal ability. Critically, we find that threatened endemics (i) occupy distinct areas of beak morphospace, and (ii) represent substantial unique areas of the overall functional space of island endemics. We caution that the loss of threatened species may have severe effects on the ecological functions birds provide on islands.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional studies were used for certain species (e.g., emu species, Hume & Robertson, 2021). In general, these sourced values only represent coarse estimates of extinct species body mass and should only be used in future analyses with this in mind.…”

Section: Extinct Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threatened and extinct island endemic birds of the world: Distribution, threats and functional diversity

Matthews

Wayman

Cardoso

et al. 2022

Journal of Biogeography

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Osteological and historical data on extinct island night herons (Aves: Ardeidae), with special reference to Ascension Island, the Mascarenes and Bonin Islands

Hume

2024

Geobios

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Eggs of extinct dwarf island emus retained large size

Hume

Robertson²

2021

Biol. Lett.

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Islands off southern Australia once harboured three subspecies of the mainland emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae ), the smaller Tasmanian emu ( D. n. diemenensis ) and two dwarf emus, King Island emu ( D. n. minor ) and Kangaroo Island emu ( D. n. baudinianus ), which all became extinct rapidly after discovery by human settlers. Little was recorded about their life histories and only a few historical museum specimens exist, including a number of complete eggs from Tasmania and a unique egg from Kangaroo Island. Here, we present a detailed analysis of eggs of dwarf emus, including the first record of an almost complete specimen from King Island. Our results show that despite the reduction in size of all island emus, especially the King Island emu that averaged 44% smaller than mainland birds, the egg remained similar sized in linear measurements, but less in volume and mass, and seemingly had a slightly thinner eggshell. We provide possible reasons why these phenomena occurred.

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Eggs of extinct dwarf island emus retained large size

Cited by 4 publications

References 25 publications

Threatened and extinct island endemic birds of the world: Distribution, threats and functional diversity

Threatened and extinct island endemic birds of the world: Distribution, threats and functional diversity

Osteological and historical data on extinct island night herons (Aves: Ardeidae), with special reference to Ascension Island, the Mascarenes and Bonin Islands

Eggs of extinct dwarf island emus retained large size

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