|
|||||
|
|
New Zealand endemic open-habitat specialist,the Black-fronted Tern (Chlidonias albostriatus), experienced population expansion during Pleistocene glaciation and recent decline |
|
| Authors: | Ann-Kathrin V Schlesselmann Jamie Cooper Nicolas Dussex Bruce C Robertson |
| Institution: | 1. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, 764 Cumberland St., Dunedin, 9016 New Zealand;2. Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Contribution: Data curation (equal), ?Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);3. Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Contribution: Formal analysis (supporting), ?Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting);4. Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Contribution: Conceptualization (supporting), Data curation (supporting), Formal analysis (supporting), Funding acquisition (equal), ?Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Resources (supporting), Supervision (lead), Writing - review & editing (supporting) |
| Abstract: | Understanding how climatic and environmental changes, as well as human activities, induce changes in the distribution and population size of avian species refines our ability to predict future impacts on threatened species. Using multilocus genetic data, we show that the population of a threatened New Zealand endemic open-habitat specialist, the Black-fronted Tern Chlidonias albostriatus – in contrast to forest specialists – expanded during the last glacial period. The population has decreased subsequently despite the availability of extensive open habitat after human arrival to New Zealand. We conclude that population changes for open habitat specialists such as Black-fronted Terns in pre-human New Zealand were habitat-dependent, similar to Northern Hemisphere cold-adapted species, whereas post-human settlement populations were constrained by predators independent of habitat availability, similar to other island endemic species. |
| Keywords: | anthropogenic birds climate demographic history environmental modification past population size |