HUMANS AND PURPLE SWAMPHENS – A VOYAGE THROUGH TIME

In an open access paper recently published by the scientific journal Society & Animals, an international team coordinated by CIBIO-InBIO researcher Ricardo J. Lopes, shed a new light on the historical interaction between Man and the purple swamphen or gallinule (Porphyrio porphyrio). This research study was made possible through the close collaboration between Portuguese, Spanish and Italian biologists and historians.

The knowledge on the historical use of animal species in captivity and human-induced changes in their distribution remains unclear in comparison to contemporary case studies. By gathering different records and iconographic evidence from a wide period, ranging from ancient Egypt to recent times, the team confirmed that the purple swamphen was a very popular waterbird species, which has been transported and commercialized during several historical periods, especially within the Mediterranean region.

According to Ricardo J Lopes “it is very interesting to know that past human activity might have influenced the genetic diversity of this species, through the introduction of its populations in different locations”. This review provides a new perspective on the importance of taking into account past human activity when interpreting the contemporary distribution of species, opening new avenues to structure research studies under this innovative basis.

To know more about this topic, please follow the link below:

“Esta ave azul selvagem já foi nosso animal de companhia” | Wilder | November 23, 2016 (Information available in Portuguese)

To read the national press release for this study, please click here.

To access the original article, please click here.