On the extinction of the Dune Shearwater (Puffinus holeae) from the Canary Islands

Abstract

Insular ecosystems have been subjected to severe hardship during the last millennia. Large numbers of insular bird species have undergone local disappearances and full extinctions, and a high number of insular birds are currently categorised as endangered species. In most of these cases, extinction-or endangerment-is in direct relation to the arrival of 'aboriginal' and/or imperialist waves of human settlement. Insular bird extinction events have been documented to have occurred at times corresponding to aboriginal settlement at many archipelagos and isolated islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, the West Indies or the tropical Pacific Islands. However, no bird extinctions could be attributed to the first settlers of the Canary Islands-until now. The first accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of collagen from a bone of the Dune Shearwater Puffinus holeae (3395 ± 30 year BP), an extinct bird from the Canary Islands, indicates a late Holocene extinction event. This relatively recent date, together with some features of this bird (large body size, breeding areas situated at very accessible places) and the absence of its bones from the entire archaeological record suggests that the extinction occurred close to the time that the first human settlement occurred on the islands.

Ancient DNA of the Extinct Lava Shearwater (Puffinus olsoni) from the Canary Islands Reveals Incipient Differentiation within the P. puffinus Complex

“…In fact, during the last 10,000 years, 56% of Holocene procellariform species have lost populations, and five Puffinus shearwater species with unclear evolutionary relationships have been reported to be extinguished. The reason for this is usually claimed to be the human arrival to the islands they inhabited [9] [10] [12] [15] . The genus Puffinus (family Procellariidae) is a diverse group of small and medium size birds (wings spanning 1.5–0.6 meters and weight of 170–700 grams) with a worldwide distribution [16] – [17] .…”

Population connectivity buffers genetic diversity loss in a seabird

“…In the Canary Islands this process has led to the extinction of the dune shearwater ( Puffinus holeae ), the lava shearwater ( P. olsoni ), and an unidentified species of petrel ( Pterodroma sp.) [6-8]. …”

Revisiting the Foraging Ecology and Extinction History of Two Endemic Vertebrates from Tenerife, Canary Islands

“…However, dates for introduced species on eastern islands (e.g., Mus musculus on Lanzarote [70]) provide evidence that people were in the Canaries by 1700 Cal BP. Pre-Hispanic settlers have been implicated in the extinction of the dune shearwater (Puffinus holeae) [21], whereas other extinct endemic species, such as the lava shearwater (P. olsoni) and the lava mouse (Malpaisomys insularis) persisted until European contact [22,71]. There is also evidence for early anthropogenic modification of vegetation [72,73].…”

“…Island vertebrates have been particularly vulnerable to recent, anthropogenically-driven species loss due to their low genetic diversity and evolution in relative isolation from diseases, parasites, competitors, and predators [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Like most archipelagos, The Canary Islands, which are part of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot [17], have experienced multiple Late Holocene vertebrate extinctions [18][19][20][21][22][23], and a large number of extant native species are currently threatened [24].…”