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Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk

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Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. / Thomas, Jessica; Carvalho, Gary; Haile, James et al.
In: Elife, Vol. 8, e47509, 26.11.2019.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

HarvardHarvard

Thomas, J, Carvalho, G, Haile, J, Rawlence, NJ, Martin, MD, Ho, SYW, Sigfússon, AÞ, Jósefsson, VA, Frederiksen, M, Linnebjerg, JF, Samaniego Castruita, JA, Niemann, J, Sinding, M-HS, Sandoval-Velasco, M, Soares, AER, Lacy, R, Barilaro, C, Best, J, Brandis, D, Cavallo, C, Elorza, M, Garrett, KL, Groot, M, Johansson, F, Lifjeld, JT, Nilson, G, Serjeanston, D, Sweet, P, Fuller, E, Hufthammer, AK, Meldgaard, M, Fjeldsa, J, Shapiro, B, Hofreiter, M, Stewart, JR, Gilbert, MTP & Knapp, M 2019, 'Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk', Elife, vol. 8, e47509. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47509

APA

Thomas, J., Carvalho, G., Haile, J., Rawlence, N. J., Martin, M. D., Ho, S. YW., Sigfússon, A. Þ., Jósefsson, V. A., Frederiksen, M., Linnebjerg, J. F., Samaniego Castruita, J. A., Niemann, J., Sinding, M.-H. S., Sandoval-Velasco, M., Soares, A. ER., Lacy, R., Barilaro, C., Best, J., Brandis, D., ... Knapp, M. (2019). Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. Elife, 8, Article e47509. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47509

CBE

Thomas J, Carvalho G, Haile J, Rawlence NJ, Martin MD, Ho SYW, Sigfússon AÞ, Jósefsson VA, Frederiksen M, Linnebjerg JF, et al. 2019. Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. Elife. 8:Article e47509. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47509

MLA

Thomas, Jessica et al. "Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk". Elife. 2019. 8. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47509

VancouverVancouver

Thomas J, Carvalho G, Haile J, Rawlence NJ, Martin MD, Ho SYW et al. Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. Elife. 2019 Nov 26;8:e47509. doi: 10.7554/eLife.47509

Author

Thomas, Jessica ; Carvalho, Gary ; Haile, James et al. / Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk. In: Elife. 2019 ; Vol. 8.

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Demographic reconstruction from ancient DNA supports rapid extinction of the great auk

AU - Thomas, Jessica

AU - Carvalho, Gary

AU - Haile, James

AU - Rawlence, Nicolas J

AU - Martin, Michael D.

AU - Ho, Simon YW

AU - Sigfússon, Arnór Þ

AU - Jósefsson, Vigfús A

AU - Frederiksen, Morten

AU - Linnebjerg, Jannie F

AU - Samaniego Castruita, Jose A

AU - Niemann, Jonas

AU - Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S

AU - Sandoval-Velasco, Marcela

AU - Soares, André ER

AU - Lacy, Robert

AU - Barilaro, Christina

AU - Best, Juila

AU - Brandis, Dirk

AU - Cavallo, Chiara

AU - Elorza, Mikelo

AU - Garrett, Kimball L

AU - Groot, Maaike

AU - Johansson, Friederike

AU - Lifjeld, Jan T

AU - Nilson, Goran

AU - Serjeanston, Dale

AU - Sweet, Paul

AU - Fuller, Errol

AU - Hufthammer, Anne Karin

AU - Meldgaard, Morten

AU - Fjeldsa, Jon

AU - Shapiro, Beth

AU - Hofreiter, Michael

AU - Stewart, John R

AU - Gilbert, M Thomas P

AU - Knapp, Michael

N1 - © 2019, Thomas et al.

PY - 2019/11/26

Y1 - 2019/11/26

N2 - The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, having been heavily exploited for its eggs, meat, and feathers. We investigated the impact of human hunting on its demise by integrating genetic data, GPS-based ocean current data, and analyses of population viability. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of 41 individuals from across the species' geographic range and reconstructed population structure and population dynamics throughout the Holocene. Taken together, our data do not provide any evidence that great auks were at risk of extinction prior to the onset of intensive human hunting in the early 16 th century. In addition, our population viability analyses reveal that even if the great auk had not been under threat by environmental change, human hunting alone could have been sufficient to cause its extinction. Our results emphasise the vulnerability of even abundant and widespread species to intense and localised exploitation.

AB - The great auk was once abundant and distributed across the North Atlantic. It is now extinct, having been heavily exploited for its eggs, meat, and feathers. We investigated the impact of human hunting on its demise by integrating genetic data, GPS-based ocean current data, and analyses of population viability. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of 41 individuals from across the species' geographic range and reconstructed population structure and population dynamics throughout the Holocene. Taken together, our data do not provide any evidence that great auks were at risk of extinction prior to the onset of intensive human hunting in the early 16 th century. In addition, our population viability analyses reveal that even if the great auk had not been under threat by environmental change, human hunting alone could have been sufficient to cause its extinction. Our results emphasise the vulnerability of even abundant and widespread species to intense and localised exploitation.

U2 - 10.7554/eLife.47509

DO - 10.7554/eLife.47509

M3 - Article

C2 - 31767056

VL - 8

JO - Elife

JF - Elife

SN - 2050-084X

M1 - e47509

ER -