Seabirds

Population and Ecological History of the Endemic and Endangered Hawaiian Petrel

Humans have had great impacts in the Pacific, and in Hawaii, human colonization has been associated with the extinction of nearly 75% of the endemic avifauna. The endemic Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) has escaped extinction, but colonies on at least two islands have become extirpated and population sizes across its range have declined dramatically. The implications of this decline have been obscured by a lack of knowledge of this species, including a poor understanding of the potential for genetic and ecological differentiation between colonies. Since petrels are highly mobile, foraging from the waters off Hawaii to the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, no obvious barriers to dispersal exist between breeding colonies, which are separated by less than 500 km. Yet, at the same time, many petrel species demonstrate strong philopatry, and this can lead to genetic and/or ecological differentiation among populations. In collaboration with Rob Fleischer, Helen James, Anne Wiley, Peggy Ostrom, and Craig Stricker we obtained genetic and stable isotope data from samples up to ~4000 years in age to investigate the historical dynamics of the Hawaiian petrel, as well genetic and ecological differentiation of populations of this endangered species.Previously Hawaiian petrels bred on all of the main islands of Hawaii. However, they were extirpated on Oahu prior to the arrival of Europeans, and have also (likely) been extirpated recently on Molokai. Genetic work utilizing ancient DNA sequences from bones and museum skins suggest that prior to human arrival gene flow among populations was low. Similarly, levels of gene flow among extant populations today are low. However, there is evidence for high gene flow between the extirpated populations on Oahu and Molokai and the population on Lanai. This could be due to recent founding events, or potentially to dispersal away from the dwindling Oahu and Molokai colonies to the thriving colony on Lanai. Stable isotope data also suggest that birds today from Maui and Kauai have different foraging strategies than birds on Hawaii and Lanai. This genetic and ecological differentiation between colonies has important implications for the conservation of this species.

We also utilized ancient DNA and isotopic data from bones to examine population trends of the Hawaiian petrel over the last ~3,000 years as human impacts in Hawaii and the Pacific have grown. Based on paleontological and archeological evidence, it appears that the Hawaiian petrel was once very abundant, with population sizes likely in the millions. Today, however, census population estimates range from just 10,000 to 30,000 individuals. Examination of long-term effective population size of birds from Hawaii and Maui suggest that despite this decline Hawaiian petrels have retained much of their genetic diversity. The remote and inaccessible locations of their breeding colonies, which they return to at night, may have led to overestimation of the severity of their population decline, and their long generation times may allow retention of genetic diversity over the short-term. However, if population sizes continue to decline and/or remain small, the long generation time of this species will hinder its recovery. Examination of stable isotope data over this time period suggests 3,000 years of dietary stasis, followed by a decline in trophic level coincident with the onset of industrial fishing by humans in the Pacific. Overall, our work demonstrates the impact of anthropogenic influences on both terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems in the Pacific.


Hawaiian petrel photo by Jim Denny


  • Welch AJ, Wiley AE, James HF, Ostrom PH, Southon J, Stafford T, Fleischer RC. 2012. Ancient DNA reveals genetic stability despite demographic decline: three thousand years of population genetic history in the endemic Hawaiian petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis). Molecular Biology and Evolution 29:3729-3740. Abstract. PDF.

  • Welch AJ, Fleischer RC, James HF, Wiley AE, Ostrom PH, Adams J, Duvall F, Holmes N, Hu D, Penniman J, Swindle K. 2012. Population divergence and gene flow in an endangered and highly mobile seabird. Heredity 109:19-28 Abstract.

*Heredity highlighted our work in this article.

  • Wiley AE, Ostrom PH, Welch AJ, Fleischer RC, Gandhi H, Southon JR, Stafford TW Jr., Penniman J, Hu D, Duvall F, James HF. 2013. Millennial-scale records from a wide-ranging predator show evidence of recent human impact to oceanic food webs. PNAS 110:8972-8977. Abstract.

*See the Editors' Choice article about our work in Science. The work was also highlighted on the National Science Foundation website.

  • Wiley AE, Welch AJ, Ostrom PH, James HF, Stricker CA, Fleischer RC, Gandhi, H, Adams J, Ainley DG, Duvall F, Homes N, Hu D, Judge S, Penniman J, Swindle K. 2012. Foraging segregation and genetic divergence between geographically proximate colonies of a highly mobile seabird. Oecologia 1:119-130. Abstract.



Phylogenomics of Procellariiformes


Recently, we investigated the utility of two different reduced representation sequencing techniques (RADs, Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing and UCEs, ultra conserved elements) for resolving rapid radiations. These two types of loci evolve at different rates, and thus can provide information about evolutionary histories at different points in time. We found that combining these data helps disentangle the causes of phylogenetic discordance, helping to distinguish between incomplete lineage sorting (when ancestral genetic variants are retained in species after they have split) and past hybridisation during incipient species. We used them to investigate the case of the shearwaters, one of the most phylogenetically controversial and endangered bird groups.


The Scopoli’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)


Beyond being charismatic and interesting in their own right, seabirds provide an excellent system for studying how factors such as body size (one proxy for metabolic for metabolic rate), life history factors (such as longevity, population size, etc), and hand-wing index (a proxy for metabolic rate during flight) are related to substitution rates. One common assumption is that animals with high metabolism (e.g. those with small body sizes, inefficient flyers, and short generation times) have a higher mutation rate because of the release of more free radicals as a result of increased rates of cellular respiration. Our work, using a genome-scale phylogeny of the order Procellariiformes (Albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters) shows that in these seabirds, which differ 900 fold in body size and exhibit striking variation in hand-wing index and other life history traits, shows that no single trait is strongly correlated with substitution rate, and instead many traits are weakly linked instead.


Body size in Procellariiformes seabirds. A. Silhouettes of the Least Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma microsoma; wingspan 36 cm) and Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans; wingspan 3.5 m), to scale. B. Distribution of body mass in various groups of Procellarii- formes in our study, which range from 18.2 g to 16.1 kg

  • Ferrer-Obiol J, James HF, Chesser RT, Bretagnolle V, González-Solís J, Rozas J, Riutort M, Welch AJ. 2021. Integrating sequence capture and restriction-site associated DNA sequencing to resolve recent radiations of pelagic seabirds. Systematic Biology 70:976-996. PDF.

  • Estandía A; Chesser RT, James HF, Levy M, Ferrer-Obiol J, Bretagnolle V, González-Solís J, Welch AJ. Substitution rate variation in a robust Procellariiform seabird phylogeny is not solely explained by body mass, flight efficiency, population size or life history traits. bioRxiv.