A historia evolutiva do extinto ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) e a paleogeografia da Nova Zelândia

The evolutionary history of the extinct ratite moa and New Zealand Neogene paleogeography

M. Buncea,1,2, T. H. Worthyb,c,1, M. J. Phillipsd, R. N. Holdawaye, E. Willerslevf, J. Hailef,g, B. Shapirog,h, R. P. Scofieldi, A. Drummondj, P. J. J. Kampk and A. Cooperb,2

+ Author Affiliations

aAncient DNA Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia;

bAustralian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia;

cSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia;

dCentre for Macroevolution and Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia;

ePalaecol Research Ltd and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand;

fCentre for Ancient Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;

gDepartment of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX13PS, United Kingdom;

hDepartment of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802;

iCanterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand;

jBioinformatics Institute and Department of Computer Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1020, New Zealand; and

kDepartment of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
↵1M.B. and T.H.W. contributed equally to this work.

Edited by James P. Kennett, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, and approved September 24, 2009 (received for review June 28, 2009)

Abstract

The ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) were a speciose group of massive graviportal avian herbivores that dominated the New Zealand (NZ) ecosystem until their extinction ≈600 years ago. The phylogeny and evolutionary history of this morphologically diverse order has remained controversial since their initial description in 1839. We synthesize mitochondrial phylogenetic information from 263 subfossil moa specimens from across NZ with morphological, ecological, and new geological data to create the first comprehensive phylogeny, taxonomy, and evolutionary timeframe for all of the species of an extinct order. We also present an important new geological/paleogeographical model of late Cenozoic NZ, which suggests that terrestrial biota on the North and South Island landmasses were isolated for most of the past 20–30 Ma. The data reveal that the patterns of genetic diversity within and between different moa clades reflect a complex history following a major marine transgression in the Oligocene, affected by marine barriers, tectonic activity, and glacial cycles. Surprisingly, the remarkable morphological radiation of moa appears to have occurred much more recently than previous early Miocene (ca. 15 Ma) estimates, and was coincident with the accelerated uplift of the Southern Alps just ca. 5–8.5 Ma. Together with recent fossil evidence, these data suggest that the recent evolutionary history of nearly all of the iconic NZ terrestrial biota occurred principally on just the South Island.

ancient DNA Oligocene Drowning Dinornithiformes phylogeny taxonomy
Footnotes

2To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: alan.cooper@adelaide.edu.au or m.bunce@murdoch.edu.au

Author contributions: A.C. designed research; M.B., E.W., J.H., P.J.J.K., and A.C. performed research; M.B., T.H.W., M.J.P., R.N.H., B.S., R.P.S., A.D., P.J.J.K., and A.C. analyzed data; and M.B., T.H.W., M.J.P., and A.C. wrote the paper.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

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