Using microscopic and ancient DNA analysis of a variety of sample types (including lake, bog, swamp and cave sediments and preserved droppings (coprolites) of extinct birds and introduced animals) we show how ecosystems have changed over time in response to climate change, natural disturbances (volcanism, earthquakes and fire), initial human arrival, and the introduction of alien vertebrates. Analysing coprolites allows us to gain insights into the lives of extinct birds, determining what plants they ate, what flowers they pollinated, and what seeds they dispersed. From this we can determine the role that extinct birds played in prehuman ecosystems, which helps us understand the legacy of their extinction on the functioning of existing forests.
The Manaaki Whenaua – Landcare Research Long-Term Ecology Laboratory is dedicated to studying long-term ecological processes (over decades to thousands of years) to help further our understanding of the dynamics, function and trajectories of present-day ecosystems.
