Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey
New Zealand's geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and Gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. However, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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PNAS
2018
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160104473 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69746 |
| _version_ | 1848762123799232512 |
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| author | Seersholm, F. Cole, T. Grealy, A. Rawlence, N. Greig, K. Knapp, M. Stat, Michael Hansen, A. Easton, L. Shepherd, L. Tennyson, A. Scofield, R. Walter, R. Bunce, Michael |
| author_facet | Seersholm, F. Cole, T. Grealy, A. Rawlence, N. Greig, K. Knapp, M. Stat, Michael Hansen, A. Easton, L. Shepherd, L. Tennyson, A. Scofield, R. Walter, R. Bunce, Michael |
| author_sort | Seersholm, F. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | New Zealand's geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and Gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. However, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated 49% of the terrestrial avifauna is extinct. Current efforts to conserve the remaining fauna rely on a better understanding of the composition of past ecosystems, as well as the causes and timing of past extinctions. The exact temporal and spatial dynamics of New Zealand's extinct fauna, however, can be difficult to interpret, as only a small proportion of animals are preserved as morphologically identifiable fossils. Here, we conduct a large-scale genetic survey of subfossil bone assemblages to elucidate the impact of humans on the environment in New Zealand. By genetically identifying more than 5,000 nondiagnostic bone fragments from archaeological and paleontological sites, we reconstruct a rich faunal record of 110 species of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and marine mammals. We report evidence of five whale species rarely reported from New Zealand archaeological middens and characterize extinct lineages of leiopelmatid frog (Leiopelma sp.) and kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) haplotypes lost from the gene pool. Taken together, this molecular audit of New Zealand's subfossil record not only contributes to our understanding of past biodiversity and precontact Maori subsistence practices but also provides a more nuanced snapshot of anthropogenic impacts on native fauna after first human arrival. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:42:34Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-69746 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:42:34Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | PNAS |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-697462022-10-27T04:58:28Z Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey Seersholm, F. Cole, T. Grealy, A. Rawlence, N. Greig, K. Knapp, M. Stat, Michael Hansen, A. Easton, L. Shepherd, L. Tennyson, A. Scofield, R. Walter, R. Bunce, Michael New Zealand's geographic isolation, lack of native terrestrial mammals, and Gondwanan origins make it an ideal location to study evolutionary processes. However, since the archipelago was first settled by humans 750 y ago, its unique biodiversity has been under pressure, and today an estimated 49% of the terrestrial avifauna is extinct. Current efforts to conserve the remaining fauna rely on a better understanding of the composition of past ecosystems, as well as the causes and timing of past extinctions. The exact temporal and spatial dynamics of New Zealand's extinct fauna, however, can be difficult to interpret, as only a small proportion of animals are preserved as morphologically identifiable fossils. Here, we conduct a large-scale genetic survey of subfossil bone assemblages to elucidate the impact of humans on the environment in New Zealand. By genetically identifying more than 5,000 nondiagnostic bone fragments from archaeological and paleontological sites, we reconstruct a rich faunal record of 110 species of birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and marine mammals. We report evidence of five whale species rarely reported from New Zealand archaeological middens and characterize extinct lineages of leiopelmatid frog (Leiopelma sp.) and kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) haplotypes lost from the gene pool. Taken together, this molecular audit of New Zealand's subfossil record not only contributes to our understanding of past biodiversity and precontact Maori subsistence practices but also provides a more nuanced snapshot of anthropogenic impacts on native fauna after first human arrival. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69746 10.1073/pnas.1803573115 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160104473 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ PNAS fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Seersholm, F. Cole, T. Grealy, A. Rawlence, N. Greig, K. Knapp, M. Stat, Michael Hansen, A. Easton, L. Shepherd, L. Tennyson, A. Scofield, R. Walter, R. Bunce, Michael Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title | Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title_full | Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title_fullStr | Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title_short | Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |
| title_sort | subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by new zealand-wide ancient dna survey |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160104473 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69746 |