Resolving lost herbivore community structure using coprolites of four sympatric moa species (Aves: Dinornithiformes).

ABSTRACT: Knowledge of extinct herbivore community structuring is essential for assessing the wider ecological impacts of Quaternary extinctions and determining appropriate taxon substitutes for rewilding. Here, we demonstrate the potential for coprolite studies to progress beyond single-species diet reconstructions to resolving community-level detail. The moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) of New Zealand are an intensively studied group of nine extinct herbivore species, yet many details of their diets and community structuring remain unresolved. We provide unique insights into these aspects of moa biology through analyses of a multispecies coprolite assemblage from a rock overhang in a montane river valley in southern New Zealand. Using ancient DNA (aDNA), we identified 51 coprolites, which included spe

SUBMITTER: Wood JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3801019 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature