Abstract
The pre-human Aotearoa New Zealand fauna was dominated by avian and reptilian species. Prior to first human settlement by East Polynesian colonists, the top predators were two giant raptorial birds. Aside from humans themselves, colonisation also resulted in the simultaneous introduction of two novel mammalian predators into this naive ecosystem, the kiore (Pacific rat) and kurī (Polynesian dog). While the ecological impacts of kiore are relatively well understood, those of kurī are difficult to assess, and as such kurī have frequently been disregarded as having any meaningful impact on New Zealand’s biodiversity. Here we use the archaeological and palaeoecological record to reassess the potential impacts of kurī on this ecosystem. We argue that far from being confined to villages, kurī could have had a significant widespread but relatively localised impact on New Zealand’s avian, reptilian and marine mammal (seals and sea lions) fauna as a novel predator of medium-sized species. In this way, kurī potentially amplified the already significant impacts of Polynesian colonists and their descendants on New Zealand’s ecosystem, prior to European arrival. As such, kurī should be included in models of human impact in addition to over-hunting, environmental modification and predation by kiore.
Highlights
Isolated island ecosystems are evolutionary microcosms typically exhibiting high levels of faunal endemicity (Mendelson and Shaw, 2005; Shaw and Gillespie, 2016)
We argue that far from being confined to villages, kurı could have had a significant widespread but relatively localised impact on New Zealand’s avian, reptilian and marine mammal fauna as a novel predator of medium-sized species
In island ecosystems modern human colonisation is frequently associated with widespread faunal extinctions and environmental modification (Perry et al, 2014; Hansford et al, 2021; Louys et al, 2021; Nogue et al, 2021)
Summary
Isolated island ecosystems are evolutionary microcosms typically exhibiting high levels of faunal endemicity (Mendelson and Shaw, 2005; Shaw and Gillespie, 2016). Multidisciplinary analyses of genetically confirmed kurı coprolites (ancient DNA, macro- and micro-scopic, isotopic, palaeoproteomics) should be used to test hypotheses about geographical and temporal changes in kurı diet (and as a proxy for human diet), and how this reflects wider patterns in the previously recognised ecosystem change in New Zealand These analyses should be conducted in conjunction with archaeozoological analysis of midden assemblages (including bulk bone metabarcoding of non-diagnostic material; e.g., Seersholm et al, 2018) and regional pre-human palaeofaunal surveys (e.g., Worthy, 1998b), especially of understudied taxa (e.g., small birds, herpetofauna), and modelling of Maori movement across the environment through time (e.g., is there a differential decline in ground-nesting birds?). Opportunities for future research will help resolve the remaining gaps in our knowledge of the impact of kurı on New Zealand biodiversity and on insular island ecosystems in general
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