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Norfolk Island Robins are a distinct endangered species: ancient DNA unlocks surprising relationships and phenotypic discordance within the Australo-Pacific Robins

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Abstract

Uncertain taxonomy hinders the effective prioritization of taxa for conservation. This problem is acute for understudied island populations in the southwest Pacific Ocean, which are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, predation and climate change. Here, we offer the first test of taxonomic limits and phylogenetic affinities of the iconic Pacific Robin radiation (Petroica multicolor) in order to prioritize the conservation of its nominotypical subspecies, the endangered Norfolk Island Robin (P. m. multicolor). We integrate phylogenetic analyses of ancient DNA and quantitative measures of plumage and morphometric variation to show that the Norfolk Island Robin should be recognized as a distinct species. Phenotypic and genetic datasets contradict the longstanding treatment of Pacific Robins (including Norfolk Island Robins) and Scarlet Robins (P. boodang) as a single species. Instead, we show that Norfolk Island Robins are deeply divergent from Scarlet Robins and have more genetic similarity to Red-capped Robins (P. goodenovii) than to other Pacific Robins. This finding is unrepresentative of the current taxonomic and conservation status of the Norfolk Island Robin, which we propose should be recognised as an endemic endangered species. Our study clearly shows that in the absence of contemporary tissues, ancient DNA approaches using historical museum specimens can address taxonomic questions that morphological traits are unable to resolve. Further, it highlights the need for similar studies of other threatened Norfolk fauna with uncertain taxonomic status in order to ensure appropriate conservation prioritization.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the following institutions, collectors, collection managers, staff and curators for the specimens or sequences used in this study: Paul Sweet, Thomas Trombone, Lydia Garetano, Peter Capainolo and Chris Filardi at the American Museum of Natural History, Jean Woods at the Delaware Museum of Natural History, A. Townsend Peterson, Michael Andersen and Mark Robbins at the Kansas University Natural History Museum, David Steadman, Andrew Kratter and Tom Webber at the Ornithology Division of the Florida Museum of Natural History, Robb Brumfield and Donna Dittmann at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Sciences, Robert Palmer at the Australian National Wildlife Collection and Susanne Metcalfe at CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Gaynor Dolman at the Western Australian Museum, Joanna Sumner at the Museum of Victoria, Aude Thierry, Tammy Steeves and Jim Briskie at the University of Canterbury, and Sharon Birks at the University of Washington Burke Museum. We thank David Yeates, Kerensa McElroy and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. Allen Kearns helped measure specimens. Analyses were run on the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility and CIPRES. This research was funded by NSF grant DEB-1119506 to K. E. Omland and an Australian Biological Resources Study Churchill Fellowship to A. M. Kearns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Anna M. Kearns, John F. Malloy & Kevin E. Omland

  2. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    Anna M. Kearns

  3. Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australia, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Leo Joseph

  4. Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Environment Institute, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Lauren C. White & Jeremy J. Austin

  5. Sciences Department, Museum Victoria, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Jeremy J. Austin

  6. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Caitlin Baker

  7. Laboratories of Analytical Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20013, USA

    Caitlin Baker & Amy C. Driskell

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  1. Anna M. Kearns
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Correspondence to Anna M. Kearns.

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Kearns, A.M., Joseph, L., White, L.C. et al. Norfolk Island Robins are a distinct endangered species: ancient DNA unlocks surprising relationships and phenotypic discordance within the Australo-Pacific Robins. Conserv Genet 17, 321–335 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-015-0783-4

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