Radiocarbon-dating and ancient DNA reveal rapid replacement of extinct prehistoric penguins

Rawlence, Nicolas J.; Perry, George L.; Smith, Ian; Scofield, R. Paul; Tennyson, Alan J. D.; Matisoo‐Smith, Elizabeth; Boessenkool, Sanne; Austin, Jeremy J.; Waters, Jonathan M.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.01.011

Cited by 31 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…We collated genetic data from 56 modern and 95 ancient Phocarctos sea lion specimens, and from 96 modern and 118 ancient Megadyptes penguin specimens. These analyses included previously published data (Boessenkool et al ., ; Collins et al ., ; Rawlence et al ., ) along with newly analysed Phocarctos specimens from New Zealand's early (1280–1450 AD) ( n = 13), middle to late prehistoric ( c . 1450–1796 AD), and historic (1791–1834 AD) ( n = 15) periods, obtained from museum and university collections (see Appendix Table S1 in Supporting Information).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did interaction between human pressure and Little Ice Age drive biological turnover in New Zealand?

Waters

Fraser

Maxwell

et al. 2017

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim To test for simultaneous Holocene biogeographic turnover events in the New Zealand region. Specifically, we synthesize ancient DNA, radiocarbon data and archaeological data to assess the chronologies of late Holocene lineage extinction and replacement. Location Cool‐temperate coastal ecosystems of New Zealand and the subantarctic. Methods We present new ancient DNA and radiocarbon data for New Zealand sea lions, and synthesize existing climatic, genetic and archaeological data, to test for synchronous megafaunal extinction and replacement events. The collated data include ancient DNA sequences from over 200 ancient sea lion and penguin specimens, in addition to 150 modern genetic samples. Results Our temporal genetic analyses show that, following human‐driven extinction events, synchronous marine megafaunal replacement events occurred at around 1500 AD, coinciding with the Little Ice Age onset and an associated drastic human demographic decline in southern New Zealand. Conclusions A combination of climatic and human demographic shifts likely facilitated northward expansion of subantarctic sea lion and penguin lineages, replacing extirpated mainland New Zealand marine megafauna. Broadly, the interaction between human pressure and late Holocene climatic change may explain multiple biological turnover events in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did interaction between human pressure and Little Ice Age drive biological turnover in New Zealand?

Waters

Fraser

Maxwell

et al. 2017

Journal of Biogeography

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“…To avoid sampling an individual multiple times we used only common elements of the same orientation from a single deposit, or sampled bones from different stratigraphic units within a site. Specimens were sampled from sites that have previously yielded aDNA [15,21,22].…”

Section: Materials and Methods (A) Ancient And Historic Dna Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, numerous species of large flightless ratites (moa) went extinct within only 200 years of human arrival, owing to overhunting and large-scale habitat destruction [11][12][13]. Indeed, the archaeological record reveals that the diet of the indigenous Māori population, especially in southern New Zealand, was initially centred on moa and other large vertebrates, including coastal taxa such as sea lions, seals and penguins, prior to a major dietary shift to fish and shellfish after AD 1450 [14][15][16]. This cultural transition, along with an associated human demographic decline [17,18], is thought to have allowed the recovery of depleted vertebrate populations, especially in southern New Zealand [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invader or resident? Ancient-DNA reveals rapid species turnover in New Zealand little penguins

et al. 2016

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The expansion of humans into previously unoccupied parts of the globe is thought to have driven the decline and extinction of numerous vertebrate species. In New Zealand, human settlement in the late thirteenth century AD led to the rapid demise of a distinctive vertebrate fauna, and also a number of 'turnover' events where extinct lineages were subsequently replaced by closely related taxa. The recent genetic detection of an Australian little penguin (Eudyptula novaehollandiae) in southeastern New Zealand may potentially represent an additional 'cryptic' invasion. Here we use ancient-DNA (aDNA) analysis and radiocarbon dating of pre-human, archaeological and historical Eudyptula remains to reveal that the arrival of E. novaehollandiae in New Zealand probably occurred between AD 1500 and 1900, following the anthropogenic decline of its sister taxon, the endemic Eudyptula minor. This rapid turnover event, revealed by aDNA, suggests that native species decline can be masked by invasive taxa, and highlights the potential for human-mediated biodiversity shifts.

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“…The species is believed to have replaced a sister taxon Megadyptes waitaha after it was hunted to extinction by humans as recently as 500 years ago (Boessenkool et al, 2009b;Rawlence et al, 2015). In this light, the question was raised whether the species' vulnerability to increasing ocean temperatures may in fact reflect a maladaptation for a warmer climate (Waters & Grosser, 2016).…”

Section: 'Maladapted Colonizer' An Oversimplificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying climate change impacts emphasises the importance of managing regional threats in the endangered Yellow-eyed penguin

Mattern

Meyer

Ellenberg

et al. 2016

Preprint

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Climate change is a global issue with effects that are difficult to manage at a regional scale. Yet more often than not climate factors are just some of multiple stressors affecting species on a population level. Non-climatic factors-especially those of anthropogenic origins-may play equally important roles with regard to impacts on species and are often more feasible to address. Here we assess the influence of climate change on population trends of the endangered Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) over the last 30 years, using a Bayesian model. Sea surface temperature (SST) proved to be the dominating factor influencing survival of both adult birds and fledglings. Increasing SST since the mid-1990s was accompanied by a reduction in survival rates and population decline. The population model showed that 33% of the variation in population numbers could be explained by SST alone, significantly increasing pressure on the penguin population. Consequently, the population becomes less resilient to non-climate related impacts, such as fisheries interactions, habitat degradation and human disturbance. However, the extent of the contribution of these factors to declining population trends is extremely difficult to assess principally due to the absence of quantifiable data, creating a discussion bias towards climate variables, and effectively distracting from non-climate factors that can be managed on a regional scale to ensure the viability of the population.

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Radiocarbon-dating and ancient DNA reveal rapid replacement of extinct prehistoric penguins

Cited by 31 publications

References 32 publications

Did interaction between human pressure and Little Ice Age drive biological turnover in New Zealand?

Did interaction between human pressure and Little Ice Age drive biological turnover in New Zealand?

Invader or resident? Ancient-DNA reveals rapid species turnover in New Zealand little penguins

Quantifying climate change impacts emphasises the importance of managing regional threats in the endangered Yellow-eyed penguin

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