A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus,1758, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the bird's extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodo's anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir.Additional co-authors: Anneke H. Van Heteren, Vikash Rupear, Gorah Beebeejaun, Alan Grihault, J. (Hans) Van Der Plicht, Marijke Besselink, Juliën K. Lubeek, Max Jansen, Hege Hollund, Beth Shapiro, Matthew Collins, Mike Buckley, Ranjith M. Jayasena, Nicolas Porch, Rene Floore, Frans Bunnik, Andrew Biedlingmaier, Jennifer Leavitt, Gregory Monfette, Anna Kimelblatt, Adrienne Randall, Pieter Floore & Leon P. A. M. Claessen

Multiple ethnic origins of mitochondrial DNA lineages for the population of Mauritius

This article reports on the first genetic assessment of the contemporary Mauritian population. Small island nodes such as Mauritius played a critical role in historic globalization processes and revealing high-resolution details of labour sourcing is crucial in order to better understand early-modern diaspora events. Mauritius is a particularly interesting case given detailed historic accounts attesting to European (Dutch, French and British), African and Asian points of origin. Ninety-seven samples were analysed for mitochondrial DNA to begin unravelling the complex dynamics of the island’s modern population. In corroboration with general demographic information, the majority of maternal lineages were derived from South Asia (58.76%), with Malagasy (16.60%), East/Southeast Asian (11.34%) and Sub-Saharan African (10.21%) also making significant contributions. This study pinpoints specific regional origins for the South Asian genetic contribution, showing a greater influence on the contemporary population from northern and southeast India. Moreover, the analysis of lineages related to the slave trade demonstrated that Madagascar and East Asia were the main centres of origin, with less influence from West Africa

A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

The dodo Raphus cucullatus Linnaeus, an extinct and flightless, giant pigeon endemic to Mauritius, has fascinated people since its discovery, yet has remained surprisingly poorly known. Until the mid-19th century, almost all that was known about the dodo was based on illustrations and written accounts by 17th century mariners, often of questionable accuracy. Furthermore, only a few fragmentary remains of dodos collected prior to the bird's extinction exist. Our understanding of the dodo's anatomy was substantially enhanced by the discovery in 1865 of subfossil bones in a marsh called the Mare aux Songes, situated in southeastern Mauritius. However, no contextual information was recorded during early excavation efforts, and the majority of excavated material comprised larger dodo bones, almost all of which were unassociated. Here we present a modern interdisciplinary analysis of the Mare aux Songes, a 4200-year-old multitaxic vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte. Our analysis of the deposits at this site provides the first detailed overview of the ecosystem inhabited by the dodo. The interplay of climatic and geological conditions led to the exceptional preservation of the animal and associated plant remains at the Mare aux Songes and provides a window into the past ecosystem of Mauritius. This interdisciplinary research approach provides an ecological framework for the dodo, complementing insights on its anatomy derived from the only associated dodo skeletons known, both of which were collected by Etienne Thirioux and are the primary subject of this memoir.publishedVersio

À propos d'un crâne inédit du dronte <i>Raphus cucullatus</i> (Aves, Columbiformes), avec un bref aperçu taxonomique sur cet oiseau subfossile de l'île Maurice, région des Mascareignes

Un crâne du dronte de l&#39;île Maurice est décrit et un aperçu de la taxonomie des Raphidae est présentée. Bien que, de façon traditionnelle, le dodo soit considéré comme étant proche des Columbidae, sa position systématique au sein des Columbiformes reste indéterminée. Le dodo ou dronte est placé avec le solitaire dans le groupe des Raphidae par plusieurs auteurs. Une série de caractères dérivés définis chez le dodo font de celui-ci un taxon proche des Columbidae. Des caractères potentiellement partagés avec le solitaire de l&#39;île de Rodrigues, corroborent l&#39;hypothèse selon laquelle ces deux taxons forment un groupe monophylétique, les Raphidae. Quoique les Columbiformes soient considérés comme étant un groupe naturel, les taxons propres à ce groupe n&#39;ont jamais été analysés dans un contexte phylogénétique. De ce fait, les relations de parenté entre les divers taxons n&#39;ont pas encore été précisées.A skull of the dodo Raphus cucullatus from Mauritius Island is hereby described and a brief overview of dodo systematics is outlined. Although Raphus as well as the Rodrigues Solitaire Pezophaps solitaria are traditionally placed next to the columbids, their taxonomic position within the columbiform clade is uncertain. Potentially shared derived characters of both species seem to point towards a sister group relationship between these Mascarene birds and the family Columbidae. Columbiform interrelationships have not yet been analysed in a cladistic framework, therefore, the whole discussion regarding the phylogenetic status of the family Raphidae awaits a cladistic reappraisal of this clade.</p

Pliocene vertebrate locality of \uc7alta, Ankara, Turkey. 2. Aves: Struthionidae

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Linearized F_ST distances between Mauritius and the different South Asian sub-regions (MAU = Mauritius; PWI = Pakistan and West India; SWI = Southwest India; NI = North India; SEI = Southeast India; BEI = Bangladesh and East India).

<p>Linearized F_ST distances between Mauritius and the different South Asian sub-regions (MAU  =  Mauritius; PWI  =  Pakistan and West India; SWI  =  Southwest India; NI  =  North India; SEI  =  Southeast India; BEI  =  Bangladesh and East India).</p

Map showing the geographical origin of samples.

<p>Mauritius, with the capital, Port Louis, starred. Figures in brackets represent number of individual samples taken per district.</p