When rediscovery is not enough: Taxonomic uncertainty hinders conservation of a critically endangered bird

Robertson, Bruce C.; Stephenson, Brent M.; Goldstien, Sharyn J.

doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.001

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In contrast to what was previously suggested (e.g., Dawson et al 1995), O. matsudairae, and not O. leucorhoa, appears to be the sister taxon of O. monorhis. Similar relationships among species, such as the sister relationship between H. pelagicus and O. furcata, have been suggested before (Penhallurick and Wink 2004;Robertson et al 2011). Conversely, the deeper nodes of our phylogeny are not well supported, indicating very little signal at higher level relationships.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Searching for a breeding population of Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel at Selvagem Grande, NE Atlantic, with a molecular characterization of occurring birds and relationships within the Hydrobatinae

et al. 2015

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Long-distance dispersal plays a critical role in population dynamics, particularly in species that occupy fragmented habitats, but it is seldom detected and investigated. The pelagic seabird Swinhoe's Storm-petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis, breeds exclusively in the NW Pacific. Individuals have been regularly observed in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1980s, but breeding has never been confirmed. In this study, we searched for evidence of breeding of Swinhoe's Storm-petrels on Selvagem Grande Island, NE Atlantic, between 2007 and 2013. During this period, six individuals were captured, sexed and characterized molecularly for two mitochondrial loci, cytochrome oxydase I and the control region, to confirm species identity, survey genetic diversity and estimate evolutionary relationships within the Hydrobatinae. These individuals were confirmed to be Swinhoe's Storm-petrels, and all except one are females. Phylogenetic analyses suggest sister relationship with Matsudaira's Storm-petrel and dismiss misidentifications with other dark rump species.Patterns of genetic variation suggest that dispersal occurred likely by more than a single female. Despite the record of a pair duetting in a burrow, breeding could not be confirmed. Swinhoe's Storm-petrels are regularly occurring at Selvagem Grande, but capture/recapture patterns suggest that a possible breeding population is small and likely not selfsustaining. In seabirds, long-distance dispersal events may facilitate colonization of new habitats created in the context of predicted climate change impacts on the marine ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Searching for a breeding population of Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel at Selvagem Grande, NE Atlantic, with a molecular characterization of occurring birds and relationships within the Hydrobatinae

et al. 2015

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“…DNA was precipitated using 0.05 M lithium chloride in 100% ethanol. Amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene ( cytb , 1143 bp, primer pair L14764 and H16064, [24]) and the 7th intron of the nuclear beta-fibrinogen gene ( bFI7 , 936 bp, primer pair FIB-B17U and FIB-B17L, [25]) was performed for all 14 individuals on an Eppendorf Mastercycler pro as described elsewhere [26]. The mitochondrial control region ( CR ; 1008 bp) was targeted for six C. o. aquilonius , and three C. o. obscurus individuals using the primer ND6F (5′- CCC TAA AAA AAG CAC AAA ATA AGT CAT), which binds at the 3′ end of ND6 and tRNA-PheR (5′-CTT GGC ATC TTC ATT GCC ATG C), which binds within the tRNA-Phe sequence.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic Position and Subspecies Divergence of the Endangered New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus)

2013

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The New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus), an endangered shorebird of the family Charadriidae, is endemic to New Zealand where two subspecies are recognized. These subspecies are not only separated geographically, with C. o. aquilonius being distributed in the New Zealand North Island and C. o. obscurus mostly restricted to Stewart Island, but also differ substantially in morphology and behavior. Despite these divergent traits, previous work has failed to detect genetic differentiation between the subspecies, and the question of when and where the two populations separated is still open. Here, we use mitochondrial and nuclear markers to address molecular divergence between the subspecies, and apply maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods to place C. obscurus within the non-monophyletic genus Charadrius. Despite very little overall differentiation, distinct haplotypes for the subspecies were detected, thus supporting molecular separation of the northern and southern populations. Phylogenetic analysis recovers a monophyletic clade combining the New Zealand Dotterel with two other New Zealand endemic shorebirds, the Wrybill and the Double-Banded Plover, thus suggesting a single dispersal event as the origin of this group. Divergence dates within Charadriidae were estimated with BEAST 2, and our results indicate a Middle Miocene origin of New Zealand endemic Charadriidae, a Late Miocene emergence of the lineage leading to the New Zealand Dotterel, and a Middle to Late Pleistocene divergence of the two New Zealand Dotterel subspecies.

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“…Most fundamentally, determining species boundaries and understanding the taxonomic identity and distinctiveness of populations of conservation concern are essential steps needed to define appropriate management units and inform effective management decisions (Mace, 2004;May, 1990;Tapley et al, 2018). However, many recent examples exist of conservation efforts being delayed or misdirected due to inaccurate taxonomic assessment, in some cases resulting in catastrophic decline or even extinction of evolutionarily significant populations and distinct species (e.g., Beebee et al, 2005;Iglésias, Toulhoat, & Sellos, 2010;Robertson, Stephenson, & Goldstien, 2011). Increased assessment of taxonomic status for threatened populations is therefore urgently required to guide biodiversity conservation (Costello, Vanhoorne, & Appeltans, 2015;Thomson et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians

Turvey

Marr

Barnes

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Inaccurate taxonomic assessment of threatened populations can hinder conservation prioritization and management, with human‐mediated population movements obscuring biogeographic patterns and confounding reconstructions of evolutionary history. Giant salamanders were formerly distributed widely across China, and are interpreted as a single species, Andrias davidianus. Previous phylogenetic studies have identified distinct Chinese giant salamander lineages but were unable to associate these consistently with different landscapes, probably because population structure has been modified by human‐mediated translocations for recent commercial farming. We investigated the evolutionary history and relationships of allopatric Chinese giant salamander populations with Next‐Generation Sequencing methods, using historical museum specimens and late 20th‐century samples, and retrieved partial or near‐complete mitogenomes for 17 individuals. Samples from populations unlikely to have been affected by translocations form three clades from separate regions of China, spatially congruent with isolation by either major river drainages or mountain ranges. Pliocene–Pleistocene divergences for these clades are consistent with topographic modification of southern China associated with uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. General Mixed Yule Coalescent model analysis indicates that these clades represent separate species: Andrias davidianus (Blanchard, 1871) (northern Yangtze/Sichuan), Andrias sligoi (Boulenger, 1924) (Pearl/Nanling), and an undescribed species (Huangshan). Andrias sligoi is possibly the world's largest amphibian. Inclusion of additional reportedly wild samples from areas of known giant salamander exploitation and movement leads to increasing loss of biogeographic signal. Wild Chinese giant salamander populations are now critically depleted or extirpated, and conservation actions should be updated to recognize the existence of multiple species.

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When rediscovery is not enough: Taxonomic uncertainty hinders conservation of a critically endangered bird

Cited by 25 publications

References 2 publications

Searching for a breeding population of Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel at Selvagem Grande, NE Atlantic, with a molecular characterization of occurring birds and relationships within the Hydrobatinae

Searching for a breeding population of Swinhoe’s Storm-petrel at Selvagem Grande, NE Atlantic, with a molecular characterization of occurring birds and relationships within the Hydrobatinae

Phylogenetic Position and Subspecies Divergence of the Endangered New Zealand Dotterel (Charadrius obscurus)

Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians

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