Impacts of biological globalization in the Mediterranean: Unveiling the deep history of human-mediated gamebird dispersal

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2015-03, Vol.112 (11), p.3296-3301
• Main Authors: Forcina, Giovanni, Guerrini, Monica, van Grouw, Hein, Gupta, Brij K., Panayides, Panicos, Hadjigerou, Pantelis, Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., Awan, Muhammad N., Khan, Aleem A., Zeder, Melinda A., Barbanera, Filippo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Migration - physiology; Animals; Bayes Theorem; Biodiversity; Biological Sciences; Birds; Birds - physiology; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Dispersal; DNA; Francolinus francolinus; Geography; Haplotypes - genetics; History, 20th Century; History, Medieval; Human Activities - history; Humans; Internationality; Mediterranean Region; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Social Sciences; Wildlife
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1500677112

Significance Human-mediated species dispersal stretching back at least 10,000 y has left an indelible stamp on present day biodiversity. A major contributing factor to this process was the trade in a wide range of exotic species that was fueled by elite demand. The black francolin—now extinct in the western Mediterranean but once a courtly gamebird prized for its flavor, curative, and aphrodisiac qualities by European aristocracy—was one of these species. Using historical sources and DNA analysis of modern and archival specimens, we show that this bird was not native to the western Mediterranean, and document its introduction to Cyprus and westward through the Mediterranean Basin via several trade routes that reached as far east as South Asia. Humans have a long history of moving wildlife that over time has resulted in unprecedented biotic homogenization. It is, as a result, often unclear whether certain taxa are native to a region or naturalized, and how the history of human involvement in species dispersal has shaped present-day biodiversity. Although currently an eastern Palaearctic galliform, the black francolin ( Francolinus francolinus ) was known to occur in the western Mediterranean from at least the time of Pliny the Elder, if not earlier. During Medieval times and the Renaissance, the black francolin was a courtly gamebird prized not only for its flavor, but also its curative, and even aphrodisiac qualities. There is uncertainty, however, whether this important gamebird was native or introduced to the region and, if the latter, what the source of introduction into the western Mediterranean was. Here we combine historical documentation with a DNA investigation of modern birds and archival (13th–20th century) specimens from across the species’ current and historically documented range. Our study proves the black francolin was nonnative to the western Mediterranean, and we document its introduction from the east via several trade routes, some reaching as far as South Asia. This finding provides insight into the reach and scope of long-distance trade routes that serviced the demand of European aristocracy for exotic species as symbols of wealth and prestige, and helps to demonstrate the lasting impact of human-mediated long-distance species dispersal on current day biodiversity.