Hatching failure increases with severity of population bottlenecks in birds

Severe bottlenecks can reduce genetic diversity and increase inbreeding as individuals are forced to mate with close relatives, but it is unknown at what minimum population size the negative fitness consequences of bottlenecks are expressed. The New Zealand avifauna contains a large number of species that have gone through bottlenecks of varying severity, providing an exceptional opportunity to test this question by using the comparative method. Using decreased hatchability as a measure of fitness costs, we found that hatching failure was significantly greater among both native and introduced species that had passed through bottlenecks of <150 individuals. Comparisons between pre- and postbottleneck populations of introduced species suggest that hatching problems arise even in populations founded by <600 individuals. Our study confirms that hatching failure is widespread and persistent among birds passing through severe bottlenecks and that the population sizes at which this fitness cost is expressed are several times greater than the number of individuals currently used to found most new populations of endangered species. We recommend that conservation managers revise the protocols they use for reintroductions or they may unwittingly reduce the long-term viability of the species they are trying to save.