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Character displacement as a mechanism for coexistence in moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)

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posted on 2022-03-29, 02:59 authored by Nicholas Anning
The moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) are an extinct group of ratite birds endemic to New Zealand. They were the dominant herbivores prior to human arrival. Analysis of coprolite data showed that moa diet varied little between species in the same area, despite each one being inhabited by three or more moa species. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain how moa utilised niche partitioning. I aimed to test for evidence of character displacement in body size, which would influence feeding height among other ecologically significant factors. Moa were morphologically diverse in body size, which may have been partly related to displacement. Measurements of femur length and width at midshaft and distal end were taken and used as a proxy for body size. The log-transformed results were then analysed using the V statistic. Results showed that sizes were randomly distributed and not indicative of character displacement. Moa therefore did not evolve character displacement in body size. Niche partitioning may have been accomplished through the evolution of other traits, such as bite dimensions or habitat preferences.

History

Table of Contents

1. Introduction -- 2. Literature review -- 3. Methodology -- 4. Results -- 5. Discussion -- Conclusions -- References -- Appendix.

Notes

Includes bibliographical references

Awarding Institution

Macquarie University

Degree Type

Thesis MRes

Degree

MRes, Macquarie University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences

Department, Centre or School

Department of Biological Sciences

Year of Award

2015

Principal Supervisor

John Alroy

Rights

Copyright Nicholas Anning 2015. Copyright disclaimer: http://mq.edu.au/library/copyright

Language

English

Extent

1 online resource (48 pages) illustrations

Former Identifiers

mq:69735 http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1257240

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