- New research reveals why eggs of the endangered k膩k膩p艒 fail to hatch
- In the last four decades over 60 per cent of k膩k膩p艒 eggs have failed
- The k膩k膩p艒 is one of the world鈥檚 most critically endangered birds with only 201 individuals left
A new study has identified why so many endangered k膩k膩p艒 eggs fail to hatch, and suggests artificial insemination could help save the species.
Researchers from the University of 葫芦影业 and the New Zealand Department of Conservation鈥檚 K膩k膩p艒 Recovery Team have found that the high rate of hatching failure in the critically endangered k膩k膩p艒 is not primarily driven by male infertility, as previously assumed, but by a high rate of early embryo death across the population.
The K膩k膩p艒 Recovery Team has also trialled artificial insemination and successfully produced chicks, demonstrating its potential as a conservation intervention for the species.
Dr Nicola Hemmings, from the University of 葫芦影业's School of Biosciences, said: 鈥淭he k膩k膩p艒 is one of the world鈥檚 most critically endangered birds with only 201 individuals left, which are managed on predator free islands off the coast of New Zealand.
鈥淭he population was at its lowest in 1995 when there were only 51 individuals left. Unfortunately this rapid decline meant a lot of the genetic diversity of the population was lost and inbreeding became a problem.
鈥淚n the last four decades, over 60 per cent of k膩k膩p艒 eggs have failed, which has been a major barrier to the recovery of the species. We found that this is primarily due to a high rate of early embryo deaths, which may be caused by the lack of genetic diversity in the K膩k膩p艒 population.鈥
K膩k膩p艒 females who have mated multiple times hatch more eggs than those that only mate once, so the recovery team has used artificial insemination to replicate a second mating and boost hatching rates. The present research confirms that artificial insemination increases the number of sperm that reach the egg.
Artificial insemination can also help to reduce inbreeding, which may cause early embryo deaths. Furthermore, the team can minimise the loss of genetic diversity by selecting males with rare genes or selecting pairs of birds that are more likely to be genetically compatible.
The k膩k膩p艒 population decline started when Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand around 750 years ago and was then accelerated by European colonists in the 1800s who further cleared habitats and introduced more predators to the islands.
Dr Jodie Crane, from the K膩k膩p艒 Recovery Team, emphasises the importance of this work: 鈥淜膩k膩p艒 are an iconic species across Aotearoa New Zealand, and a taonga (treasured) species for Ng膩i Tahu. Since our conservation programme began, hatching failure has been a major barrier to recovery. Our management has been successful in increasing the k膩k膩p艒 population, but collaborations on studies like these are crucial for solving the challenging conservation problems ahead.鈥
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