A megafauna's microfauna: gastrointestinal parasites of New Zealand's extinct Moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)

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dc.contributor.authorWood, J.
dc.contributor.authorWilmshurst, J.
dc.contributor.authorRawlence, N.
dc.contributor.authorBonner, K.
dc.contributor.authorWorthy, T.
dc.contributor.authorKinsella, J.
dc.contributor.authorCooper, A.
dc.contributor.editorFarke, A.A.
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractWe perform the first multidisciplinary study of parasites from an extinct megafaunal clade using coprolites from the New Zealand moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes). Ancient DNA and microscopic analyses of 84 coprolites deposited by four moa species (South Island giant moa, Dinornis robustus; little bush moa, Anomalopteryx didiformis; heavy-footed moa, Pachyornis elephantopus; and upland moa, Megalapteryx didinus) reveal an array of gastrointestinal parasites including coccidians (Cryptosporidium and members of the suborder Eimeriorina), nematodes (Heterakoidea, Trichostrongylidae, Trichinellidae) and a trematode (Echinostomida). Parasite eggs were most prevalent and diverse in coprolites from lowland sites, where multiple sympatric moa species occurred and host density was therefore probably higher. Morphological and phylogenetic evidence supports a possible vicariant Gondwanan origin for some of the moa parasites. The discovery of apparently hostspecific parasite taxa suggests paleoparasitological studies of megafauna coprolites may provide useful case-studies of coextinction.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJamie R. Wood, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Nicolas J. Rawlence, Karen I. Bonner, Trevor H. Worthy, John M. Kinsella and Alan Cooper
dc.identifier.citationPLoS One, 2013; 8(2):1-9
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0057315
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.orcidWood, J. [0000-0001-8008-6083]
dc.identifier.orcidCooper, A. [0000-0002-7738-7851]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/78395
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.rightsCopyright: © 2013 Wood et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057315
dc.subjectGastrointestinal Tract
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectBirds
dc.subjectDNA Primers
dc.subjectPolymerase Chain Reaction
dc.subjectBase Sequence
dc.subjectNew Zealand
dc.subjectExtinction, Biological
dc.titleA megafauna's microfauna: gastrointestinal parasites of New Zealand's extinct Moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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