Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/37001
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Ancient DNA provides new insights into the evolutionary history of New Zealand's extinct Giant Eagle |
Author: | Bunce, M. Szulkin, M. Lerner, R. Barnes, I. Shapiro, B. Cooper, A. Holdaway, R. |
Citation: | PLoS Biology, 2005; 3(1):1-10 |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Issue Date: | 2005 |
ISSN: | 1544-9173 1545-7885 |
Editor: | Penny, D. |
Statement of Responsibility: | Michael Bunce, Marta Szulkin, Heather R. L. Lerner, Ian Barnes, Beth Shapiro, Alan Cooper, Richard N. Holdaway |
Abstract: | Prior to human settlement 700 years ago New Zealand had no terrestrial mammals—apart from three species of bats—instead, approximately 250 avian species dominated the ecosystem. At the top of the food chain was the extinct Haast's eagle, Harpagornis moorei. H. moorei (10–15 kg; 2–3 m wingspan) was 30%–40% heavier than the largest extant eagle (the harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja), and hunted moa up to 15 times its weight. In a dramatic example of morphological plasticity and rapid size increase, we show that the H. moorei was very closely related to one of the world's smallest extant eagles, which is one-tenth its mass. This spectacular evolutionary change illustrates the potential speed of size alteration within lineages of vertebrates, especially in island ecosystems. |
Keywords: | Animals Eagles DNA Body Size Ecosystem Evolution, Molecular Paleontology Fossils Molecular Sequence Data New Zealand |
Rights: | Copyright: © 2005 Bunce 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 work is properly cited. |
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 6 Australian Centre for Ancient DNA publications Earth and Environmental Sciences publications Environment Institute Leaders publications |
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