The Slender-billed Curlew<i>Numenius tenuirostris</i>: Threats and Conservation

Gallo-Orsi, Umberto; Boere, Gerard C.

doi:10.3161/068.036.0102

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Because of their dependence on open habitats, we expected the genetic diversity trends of whimbrels and curlews to track the availability of such habitats across the Late Quaternary. We also expected significant declines in genetic diversity during the late Holocene when global human activity intensified, not least because the demise of the two extinct species has been attributed to habitat loss and hunting ( Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 2009 ; Gallo-Orsi and Boere, 2001 ). By testing the timing of genetic diversity fluctuations against that of important ecological events, we homed in on the factors that influenced the evolutionary trajectory of this threatened shorebird lineage over the last ~20,000 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megafaunal extinctions, not climate change, may explain Holocene genetic diversity declines in Numenius shorebirds

Tan

Jansen

Allport

et al. 2023

eLife

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Understanding the relative contributions of historical and anthropogenic factors to declines in genetic diversity is important for informing conservation action. Using genome-wide DNA of fresh and historic specimens, including that of two species widely thought to be extinct, we investigated fluctuations in genetic diversity and present the first complete phylogenomic tree for all nine species of the threatened shorebird genus Numenius, known as whimbrels and curlews. Most species faced sharp declines in effective population size, a proxy for genetic diversity, soon after the Last Glacial Maximum (around 20,000 years ago). These declines occurred prior to the Anthropocene and in spite of an increase in the breeding area predicted by environmental niche modeling, suggesting that they were not caused by climatic or recent anthropogenic factors. Crucially, these genetic diversity declines coincide with mass extinctions of mammalian megafauna in the Northern Hemisphere. Among other factors, the demise of ecosystem-engineering megafauna which maintained open habitats may have been detrimental for grassland and tundra-breeding Numenius shorebirds. Our work suggests that the impact of historical factors such as megafaunal extinction may have had wider repercussions on present-day population dynamics of open habitat biota than previously appreciated.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megafaunal extinctions, not climate change, may explain Holocene genetic diversity declines in Numenius shorebirds

Tan

Jansen

Allport

et al. 2023

eLife

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Because of their dependence on open habitats, we expected the genetic diversity trends of whimbrels and curlews to track the availability of such habitats across the late Quaternary. We also expected significant declines in genetic diversity during the late Holocene when global human activity intensified, not least because the demise of the two extinct species has been attributed to habitat loss and hunting (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 2009; Gallo-Orsi & Boere, 2001). By testing the timing of genetic diversity fluctuations against that of important ecological events, we could home in on the factors that influenced the evolutionary trajectory of this threatened shorebird lineage over the last ~20,000 years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megafaunal extinctions—not climate change—seem to explain Holocene genetic diversity declines inNumeniusshorebirds

Tan

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The impact of accelerated climate change on extinction risk is not well-characterised despite its increasing relevance. Comparative genomics of extinct versus extant species might be useful in elucidating broad trends in faunal endangerment. We investigated fluctuations in genetic diversity and extinction timing in our genomic dataset of nine species of particularly vulnerable migratory shorebirds (Numenius), including two species widely thought to be extinct. Most species faced generally sharp declines in effective population sizes, a proxy for genetic diversity, soon after the Last Glacial Maximum. During this time, a warming climate supported forest expansions at the expense of open habitats, exacerbated by human-induced mass extinctions of megafauna only a few thousand years prior, resulting in unprecedented reductions in shorebird breeding habitat. Species breeding in temperate regions, where they widely overlap with human populations, have been most strongly affected. Late Quaternary events can exert long-lasting effects on some species' susceptibility to extinction. Genomic inquiry is crucial in informing conservation actions in the fight against ongoing biodiversity loss.

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Global extinction of Slender‐billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris)

Buchanan,

Chapple,

Berryman

et al. 2024

Ibis

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In the current biodiversity crisis, conservation efforts are often focused on extinction prevention. However, it can be difficult to determine if a species is extinct, especially if the species has an extensive range, including being a transcontinental migrant, or is poorly known. The breeding range of the migratory Critically Endangered Slender‐billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris is uncertain, and the species has an extensive non‐breeding range that spans central Asia, eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin and the northwest African coast. There have been no incontrovertible sightings since 1995. In this time, extensive and intensive searches for the species have continued. Using an IUCN extinction probability framework, we incorporate potential threats to the species, search effort and past records (museum specimens and confirmed and unconfirmed sightings, all of which are primarily from its non‐breeding range) to assess the probability of extinction. The model indicates that there is a 96.0% probability that Slender‐billed Curlew is no longer extant, classing it as Extinct according to IUCN Red List guidelines. Posterior probability Bayesian extinction date estimation modelling suggests an extinction year around the time of the 1995 sighting. Although several threats to the species have been suggested, those that definitively drove the species to extinction will never be known. Other species of Numenius are under a range of pressures, and many are recognized as globally threatened. To ensure the continued survival of all shorebird species, we advocate flyway‐scale concerted, coordinated action, and caution against complacency even for widespread but threatened taxa in Europe.

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The Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris: Threats and Conservation

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Megafaunal extinctions, not climate change, may explain Holocene genetic diversity declines in Numenius shorebirds

Megafaunal extinctions, not climate change, may explain Holocene genetic diversity declines in Numenius shorebirds

Megafaunal extinctions—not climate change—seem to explain Holocene genetic diversity declines inNumeniusshorebirds

Global extinction of Slender‐billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris)

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