Prior to human colonization in the 13th century, the island of New Zealand was home to a variety of now extinct birds, including several flightless ones. A recent aDNA study examined the relationship between these flightless moa, and parasites. Here, while looking for aDNA of moa in coprolites, researchers also found the aDNA of unique parasite species which depended on flightless birds. It appears that along with the extinction of megafauna after human colonization, a mass parasite extinction also followed.
Read the commentary published in PNAS
here.
No comments:
Post a Comment