Rapid extinction of the moas (Aves: Dinornithiformes): Model, test, and implications

Science

Volumn 287, Issue 5461, 2000, Pages 2250-2254

  Holdaway, R N ^a   Jacomb, C ^b  

^a PALAECOL RESEARCH LTD   (New Zealand)

^b CANTERBURY MUSEUM   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CARBON 14;

EXTINCTION; MODELING;

ARCHEOLOGY; ARTICLE; BIRD; MODEL; NEW ZEALAND; NONHUMAN; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SIMULATION;

ANIMALS; ARCHAEOLOGY; BIRDS; COMPUTER SIMULATION; HUMANS; NEW ZEALAND; POPULATION DYNAMICS; REPRODUCTION; TIME FACTORS;

NEW ZEALAND;

AVES; DINORNITHIFORMES;

EID: 0034708828     PISSN: 00368075     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5461.2250     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Climate was not a factor in the New Zealand Holocene extinctions. No New Zealand vertebrates are known to have gone extinct at the end of the Otiran Glacial, and climatic fluctuations within the past 1000 years were minor in comparison to that event [R. N. Holdaway, in Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences, R. D. E. MacPhee, Ed. (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, New York, 1999), pp. 189-238.].
2. A. J. Anderson, J. Archaeol. Sci. 16, 137 (1989).
3. _, Prodigious Birds: Moas and Moa Hunting in Prehistoric New Zealand (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1989).
4. R. Cassels, in Quaternary Extinctions: a Prehistoric Revolution, P. S. Martin and R. G. Klein, Eds. (Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, 1984), pp. 741-767.
5. J. M. Davidson, The Prehistory of New Zealand (Longman Paul, Auckland, New Zealand, 1984).
6. R. S. Duff, The Moa-hunter Period of Maori Culture (Canterbury Museum bulletin no. 1, New Zealand Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand, 1950).
7. A. J. Anderson, in Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution, P. S. Martin and R. G. Klein, Eds. (Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, 1984), pp. 728-740.
8. R. E. Taylor, M. Stuiver, P. J. Reimer, Quat. Sci. Rev. (Quat. Geochronol.) 1, 655 (1996).
9. A. J. Anderson and I. G. Smith, World Archeol. 27, 359 (1996).
10. A. J. Anderson and I. G. Smith, in Shag River Mouth: the Archaeology of an Early Southern Maori Village, A. J. Anderson, B. Allingham, I. G. Smith, Eds. [Archaeology and Natural History (ANH) Publications, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS), Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 1996], chap. 20.
11. A. J. Anderson, Antiquity 65, 767 (1991); T. Higham, A. Anderson, C. Jacomb, Antiquity 73, (1999).
12. A. J. Anderson, Antiquity 65, 767 (1991); T. Higham, A. Anderson, C. Jacomb, Antiquity 73, (1999).
13. S. Ferson and H. R. Akçakaya, RAMAS/Age: Modelling Fluctuations in Age-structured Populations (Applied Biomathematics and Exeter Software, Setauket, NY, 1991).
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15. An analysis of mitochondrial DNA diversity in the present Maori population suggests that there were 50 to 100 women in the colonizing population [R. P. Murray-McIntosh, B. J. Scrimshaw, P. J. Hatfield, D. Penny, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95, 9047 (1998)]. We used an initial population at the low end of the range implied by these data.
16. C. M. Perrins, in Bird Population Studies: Relevance to Conservation and Management, C. M. Perrins, J.-D. Lebreton, G. J. M. Hirons, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 1991), pp. 190-206.
17. M. S. McGlone, N.Z. J. Ecol. 12 (suppL), 115 (1989); _ and J. M. Wilmshurst, Quat. Int. 59, 5 (1999).
18. M. S. McGlone, N.Z. J. Ecol. 12 (suppL), 115 (1989); _ and J. M. Wilmshurst, Quat. Int. 59, 5 (1999).
19. Monck's Cave (Figs. 2 and 3) was discovered and first excavated in 1889 [H. O. Forbes, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23, 373 (1891)]. A few fragments of moa bone and eggshell were found, and some shell fragments retained chorioallantoic membranes. The bone appeared to be industrial rather than food remains; eight artifacts from the site were manufactured from the same material. Originally cataloged as "subfossil," their appearance and condition, especially in comparison to bone of other species from the cave, suggest that they had been "mined" from elsewhere, perhaps the nearby Redcliffs site, where moa bones were very common. The many artifacts found in 1889 [H. D. Skinner, Rec. Canterbury Mus. 2, 151 (1924)] included a few types that can be attributed to the Archaic [J. Golson, in Anthropology in the South Seas, J. D. Freeman and W. R. Geddes, Eds. (Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 1959), pp. 29- 74], including a fragment of a one-piece fish hook and 2 of the 17 adzes in the collection. However, most do not fit well into either the Archaic or Classic assemblages as currently understood. Monck's Cave is one of a group of northeastern South Island sites that are neither typically Archaic nor Classic in material culture, economic focus, or settlement pattern but appear to be transitional between the two [C. Jacomb, thesis, Department of Anthropology, Otago Univ., Dunedin, New Zealand (1995)]. Excavations in 1998 revealed extensive deposits of marine mollusk shell; some fish bone; sparse bird, seal, and Pacific rat bone; and a fragment of worked moa bone and three small pieces of moa eggshell.
20. Monck's Cave (Figs. 2 and 3) was discovered and first excavated in 1889 [H. O. Forbes, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23, 373 (1891)]. A few fragments of moa bone and eggshell were found, and some shell fragments retained chorioallantoic membranes. The bone appeared to be industrial rather than food remains; eight artifacts from the site were manufactured from the same material. Originally cataloged as "subfossil," their appearance and condition, especially in comparison to bone of other species from the cave, suggest that they had been "mined" from elsewhere, perhaps the nearby Redcliffs site, where moa bones were very common. The many artifacts found in 1889 [H. D. Skinner, Rec. Canterbury Mus. 2, 151 (1924)] included a few types that can be attributed to the Archaic [J. Golson, in Anthropology in the South Seas, J. D. Freeman and W. R. Geddes, Eds. (Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 1959), pp. 29- 74], including a fragment of a one-piece fish hook and 2 of the 17 adzes in the collection. However, most do not fit well into either the Archaic or Classic assemblages as currently understood. Monck's Cave is one of a group of northeastern South Island sites that are neither typically Archaic nor Classic in material culture, economic focus, or settlement pattern but appear to be transitional between the two [C. Jacomb, thesis, Department of Anthropology, Otago Univ., Dunedin, New Zealand (1995)]. Excavations in 1998 revealed extensive deposits of marine mollusk shell; some fish bone; sparse bird, seal, and Pacific rat bone; and a fragment of worked moa bone and three small pieces of moa eggshell.
21. Monck's Cave (Figs. 2 and 3) was discovered and first excavated in 1889 [H. O. Forbes, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23, 373 (1891)]. A few fragments of moa bone and eggshell were found, and some shell fragments retained chorioallantoic membranes. The bone appeared to be industrial rather than food remains; eight artifacts from the site were manufactured from the same material. Originally cataloged as "subfossil," their appearance and condition, especially in comparison to bone of other species from the cave, suggest that they had been "mined" from elsewhere, perhaps the nearby Redcliffs site, where moa bones were very common. The many artifacts found in 1889 [H. D. Skinner, Rec. Canterbury Mus. 2, 151 (1924)] included a few types that can be attributed to the Archaic [J. Golson, in Anthropology in the South Seas, J. D. Freeman and W. R. Geddes, Eds. (Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 1959), pp. 29-74], including a fragment of a one-piece fish hook and 2 of the 17 adzes in the collection. However, most do not fit well into either the Archaic or Classic assemblages as currently understood. Monck's Cave is one of a group of northeastern South Island sites that are neither typically Archaic nor Classic in material culture, economic focus, or settlement pattern but appear to be transitional between the two [C. Jacomb, thesis, Department of Anthropology, Otago Univ., Dunedin, New Zealand (1995)]. Excavations in 1998 revealed extensive deposits of marine mollusk shell; some fish bone; sparse bird, seal, and Pacific rat bone; and a fragment of worked moa bone and three small pieces of moa eggshell.
22. Monck's Cave (Figs. 2 and 3) was discovered and first excavated in 1889 [H. O. Forbes, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 23, 373 (1891)]. A few fragments of moa bone and eggshell were found, and some shell fragments retained chorioallantoic membranes. The bone appeared to be industrial rather than food remains; eight artifacts from the site were manufactured from the same material. Originally cataloged as "subfossil," their appearance and condition, especially in comparison to bone of other species from the cave, suggest that they had been "mined" from elsewhere, perhaps the nearby Redcliffs site, where moa bones were very common. The many artifacts found in 1889 [H. D. Skinner, Rec. Canterbury Mus. 2, 151 (1924)] included a few types that can be attributed to the Archaic [J. Golson, in Anthropology in the South Seas, J. D. Freeman and W. R. Geddes, Eds. (Avery, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 1959), pp. 29- 74], including a fragment of a one-piece fish hook and 2 of the 17 adzes in the collection. However, most do not fit well into either the Archaic or Classic assemblages as currently understood. Monck's Cave is one of a group of northeastern South Island sites that are neither typically Archaic nor Classic in material culture, economic focus, or settlement pattern but appear to be transitional between the two [C. Jacomb, thesis, Department of Anthropology, Otago Univ., Dunedin, New Zealand (1995)]. Excavations in 1998 revealed extensive deposits of marine mollusk shell; some fish bone; sparse bird, seal, and Pacific rat bone; and a fragment of worked moa bone and three small pieces of moa eggshell.
23. A. J. Anderson, B. Allingham, I. G. Smith, Eds., Shag River Mouth: the Archaeology of an Early Southern Maori Village (ANH Publications, RSPAS, Australian National Univ., Canberra, Australia, 1996).
24. D. G. Sutton, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 9, 135 (1987); N. J. Enright and N. M. Osborne, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 10, 139 (1988); M. S. McGlone, A. J. Anderson, R. N. Holdaway, in The Origins of the First New Zealanders, D. G. Sutton, Ed. (Auckland Univ. Press, Auckland, New Zealand, 1994).
25. D. G. Sutton, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 9, 135 (1987); N. J. Enright and N. M. Osborne, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 10, 139 (1988); M. S. McGlone, A. J. Anderson, R. N. Holdaway, in The Origins of the First New Zealanders, D. G. Sutton, Ed. (Auckland Univ. Press, Auckland, New Zealand, 1994).
26. D. G. Sutton, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 9, 135 (1987); N. J. Enright and N. M. Osborne, N.Z. J. Archaeol. 10, 139 (1988); M. S. McGlone, A. J. Anderson, R. N. Holdaway, in The Origins of the First New Zealanders, D. G. Sutton, Ed. (Auckland Univ. Press, Auckland, New Zealand, 1994).
27. J. P. Croxall, Ardea 67, 15 (1979); J. P. Croxall, P. Rothery, S. P. C. Pickerin, P. A. Prince, J. Anim. Ecol. 59, 775 (1990); H. Weimerskirch and P. Jouventin, Oikos 49, 315 (1987).
28. J. P. Croxall, Ardea 67, 15 (1979); J. P. Croxall, P. Rothery, S. P. C. Pickerin, P. A. Prince, J. Anim. Ecol. 59, 775 (1990); H. Weimerskirch and P. Jouventin, Oikos 49, 315 (1987).
29. J. P. Croxall, Ardea 67, 15 (1979); J. P. Croxall, P. Rothery, S. P. C. Pickerin, P. A. Prince, J. Anim. Ecol. 59, 775 (1990); H. Weimerskirch and P. Jouventin, Oikos 49, 315 (1987).
30. J. E. Mosimann and P. S. Martin, Am. Sci. 63, 304 (1975).
31. G. E. Hamel, in Birds of a Feather, A. Anderson, Ed. (British Archaeological Reports International Series 62, Oxford, 1979), pp. 61-66; R. A. Falla, in A New Dictionary of Birds, A. Landsborough Thomson, Ed. (Nelson, London, 1964), pp. 477-479; W. H. Hartree, Notornis 45, 457 (1999).
32. G. E. Hamel, in Birds of a Feather, A. Anderson, Ed. (British Archaeological Reports International Series 62, Oxford, 1979), pp. 61-66; R. A. Falla, in A New Dictionary of Birds, A. Landsborough Thomson, Ed. (Nelson, London, 1964), pp. 477-479; W. H. Hartree, Notornis 45, 457 (1999).
33. G. E. Hamel, in Birds of a Feather, A. Anderson, Ed. (British Archaeological Reports International Series 62, Oxford, 1979), pp. 61-66; R. A. Falla, in A New Dictionary of Birds, A. Landsborough Thomson, Ed. (Nelson, London, 1964), pp. 477-479; W. H. Hartree, Notornis 45, 457 (1999).
34. J. P. Croxall and P. Rothery [in Bird Population Studies: Relevance to Conservation and Management, C. M. Perrins, J.-D. Lebreton, G. J. M. Hirons, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 1991), pp. 272-296] demonstrated the effects of a small reduction in adult survivorship in a long-lived slow-breeding bird. In the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), the breeding population declined even with 94% adult survivorship.
35. Marine shell was cleaned, washed in 2 M HCl for 100 s, rinsed, and dried. Samples were not assessed by x-ray diffraction, because New Zealand marine shell very rarely exhibits significant recrystallization [T. Higham, Quat. Geochronol. 13, 163 (1994)]. Radiocarbon determinations were calibrated to calendar years using OxCal {C. Bronk Ramsay, Radiocarbon 37, 425 (1995); the marine curve was as modeled by M. Stuiver, P. J. Reimer, and S. Braziunas [Radiocarbon 40, 1127 (1998)]; R was set at -25 ± 15 years, according to T. F. G. Higham and A. G. Hogg [Radiocarbon 37, 409 (1995)]}.
36. Marine shell was cleaned, washed in 2 M HCl for 100 s, rinsed, and dried. Samples were not assessed by x-ray diffraction, because New Zealand marine shell very rarely exhibits significant recrystallization [T. Higham, Quat. Geochronol. 13, 163 (1994)]. Radiocarbon determinations were calibrated to calendar years using OxCal {C. Bronk Ramsay, Radiocarbon 37, 425 (1995); the marine curve was as modeled by M. Stuiver, P. J. Reimer, and S. Braziunas [Radiocarbon 40, 1127 (1998)]; R was set at -25 ± 15 years, according to T. F. G. Higham and A. G. Hogg [Radiocarbon 37, 409 (1995)]}.
37. Marine shell was cleaned, washed in 2 M HCl for 100 s, rinsed, and dried. Samples were not assessed by x-ray diffraction, because New Zealand marine shell very rarely exhibits significant recrystallization [T. Higham, Quat. Geochronol. 13, 163 (1994)]. Radiocarbon determinations were calibrated to calendar years using OxCal {C. Bronk Ramsay, Radiocarbon 37, 425 (1995); the marine curve was as modeled by M. Stuiver, P. J. Reimer, and S. Braziunas [Radiocarbon 40, 1127 (1998)]; R was set at -25 ± 15 years, according to T. F. G. Higham and A. G. Hogg [Radiocarbon 37, 409 (1995)]}.
38. Marine shell was cleaned, washed in 2 M HCl for 100 s, rinsed, and dried. Samples were not assessed by x-ray diffraction, because New Zealand marine shell very rarely exhibits significant recrystallization [T. Higham, Quat. Geochronol. 13, 163 (1994)]. Radiocarbon determinations were calibrated to calendar years using OxCal {C. Bronk Ramsay, Radiocarbon 37, 425 (1995); the marine curve was as modeled by M. Stuiver, P. J. Reimer, and S. Braziunas [Radiocarbon 40, 1127 (1998)]; R was set at -25 ± 15 years, according to T. F. G. Higham and A. G. Hogg [Radiocarbon 37, 409 (1995)]}.
39. M. Schmidt, "Few have been tested by the spade. . . ." Pa Excavation and Radiocarbon Dating in New Zealand Archaeology (research essay, Department of Anthropology, Auckland Univ., Auckland, New Zealand, 1993).
40. We thank Te Ngai Tuahuriri Runanga of Ngai Tahu for permission to excavate at Monck's Cave; the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (R.N.H.) and the Canterbury Museum (C.J.) for financial support; the Christchurch City Council for financial support for excavations in Monck's Cave; and the Mason Foundation for funding radiocarbon dates. M. S. McGlone, J. M. Wilmshurst, P. S. Martin, and M. J. Winterbourn provided valuable criticism of earlier drafts of the manuscript.