Threatened NZ Birds

From 2011 to 2014, I worked toward my PhD at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, supervised by Prof Ian Jamieson and Dr Catherine Grueber. Our research group was affiliated with the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, and we worked closely with New Zealand's Department of Conservation. My PhD thesis (equivalent to a dissertation in North American terms) was awarded a place on the list of Exceptional PhD Theses in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago.

My research examined options for managing genetic diversity and inbreeding, with the aim of improving population viability. I developed quantitative tools toward this purpose, and used several New Zealand forest birds (especially kiwi, kokako, and black robin) as model species to address these issues.

Most of New Zealand's native land birds are threatened or declining due to introduced mammalian predators (e.g. stoats, rats, and cats). Populations of several native species have been established on offshore islands or fenced mainland sanctuaries from which all introduced mammals have been removed. These protected populations are a great insurance policy for the threatened species.

However, many of these reserves are quite small, so the protected populations are necessarily small as well. Also, relatively few individuals (< 50, < 20, or even just 2 in the case of the black robin!) are usually used to start the populations. In some cases, the entire species has been through a moderate to severe genetic bottleneck. These factors mean the populations are vulnerable to genetic problems and may not be able to persist long-term.