Genetics

Genetics will help researchers learn even more about these elusive and quirky birds. Rob Fleischer and Andreanna Welch of the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park are investigating how the population decline of this species has occurred through time. By taking DNA strands from bones and analyzing the genetic information from modern bird samples and old bones found in caves, scientists can recreate the population history of this species over the last two to three thousand years.

Genetics tells us - The information from analyzing DNA can allow scientists to estimate the actual population size of petrels before humans and modern predators arrived, and then examine the trends over time until modern day.

Helps conservation - This information can be used to make informed decisions about conservation management. Genetics can also help us figure out some basic biology about the birds, such as if birds that hatch on one island return there to breed or if they go to different islands. This helps officials decide whether or not to manage each island as a distinct population. Hopefully this work will help preserve Hawaii’s spectacular biological diversity for future generations.

Mitochondrial DNA sequence from a Maui Hawaiian Petrel, as it is viewed in a computer software program, Andreanna Welch

Analyzing DNA strands can illuminate the population history of Hawaiian Petrels, wikicommons