A megafauna’s microfauna: Gastrointestinal parasites of New Zealand’s extinct moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)

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dc.contributor.authorWood, Jamie R.
dc.contributor.authorWilmshurst, Janet M.
dc.contributor.authorRawlence, Nicolas J.
dc.contributor.authorBonner, Karen I.
dc.contributor.authorWorthy, Trevor H.
dc.contributor.authorKinsella, John M.
dc.contributor.authorCooper, Alan
dc.date.accessioned2013-03-17T19:57:39Z
dc.date.available2013-03-17T19:57:39Z
dc.date.copyright2013-02-25
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractWe perform the first multidisciplinary study of parasites from an extinct megafaunal clade using coprolites from the New Zealand moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes). Ancient DNA and microscopic analyses of 84 coprolites deposited by four moa species (South Island giant moa, Dinornis robustus; little bush moa, Anomalopteryx didiformis; heavy-footed moa, Pachyornis elephantopus; and upland moa, Megalapteryx didinus) reveal an array of gastrointestinal parasites including coccidians (Cryptosporidium and members of the suborder Eimeriorina), nematodes (Heterakoidea, Trichostrongylidae, Trichinellidae) and a trematode (Echinostomida). Parasite eggs were most prevalent and diverse in coprolites from lowland sites, where multiple sympatric moa species occurred and host density was therefore probably higher. Morphological and phylogenetic evidence supports a possible vicariant Gondwanan origin for some of the moa parasites. The discovery of apparently host-specific parasite taxa suggests paleoparasitological studies of megafauna coprolites may provide useful case-studies of coextinction.en_NZ
dc.identifier.citationWood, J. R., Wilmshurst, J. M., Rawlence, N. J., Bonner, K. I., Worthy, T. H., Kinsella, J. M., & Cooper, A. (2013). A Megafauna’s Microfauna: Gastrointestinal Parasites of New Zealand’s Extinct Moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes). (A. A. Farke, Ed.)PLoS ONE, 8(2), e57315.en_NZ
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0057315en_NZ
dc.identifier.issn19326203
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/7367
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_NZ
dc.relation.ispartofPLoS ONE
dc.relation.urihttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0057315en_NZ
dc.titleA megafauna’s microfauna: Gastrointestinal parasites of New Zealand’s extinct moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)en_NZ
dc.typeJournal Articleen_NZ
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