World-first genome study to help endangered New Zealand parrot

A New Zealand native parrot is to become the first species to have genome sequencing of all surviving members in a bid to help save it from extinction, New Zealand scientists said Thursday.

Scientists from New Zealand and the United States would attempt to sequence the genomes of all 125 known living kakapo, the critically endangered flightless parrot, said project member Associate Professor Bruce Robertson, of Otago University.

The Kakapo 125 Genomes Project would provide detailed genetic information necessary to minimize the loss of the bird's genetic diversity, and optimize health and productivity in the existing population.

"It will also be a world-first scientific achievement as no-one has sequenced the genome of every surviving member of a species before," Robertson said in a statement.

"A genome-wide understanding of genetic variation will help to develop breeding strategies to retain variation at genes important for species persistence, such as the immunity genes and their role in kakapo diseases."

The study would also be able to explore the genetic basis of infertility in kakapo, which had an egg hatching rate of 60 percent, compared with about 90 percent in other birds.

Kakapo were historically a widespread species, but reached a low of only 51 birds in 1995.

Although kakapo can live for decades, they breed only every two to four years, according to the Department of Conservation.

Their numbers declined drastically after European settlement with the loss of habitat and the introduction of predators such as rats, cats and stoats.