Woodpeckers can act as dispersal vectors for fungi, plants, and microorganisms.

ABSTRACT: Bird-mediated dispersal is presumed to be important in the dissemination of many different types of organisms, but concrete evidence remains scarce. This is especially true for biota producing microscopic propagules. Tree-dwelling birds, such as woodpeckers, would seem to represent ideal dispersal vectors for organisms growing on standing tree trunks such as epiphytic lichens and fungi. Here, we utilize bird natural history collections as a novel source of data for studying dispersal ecology of plants, fungi, and microorganisms. We screened freshly preserved specimens of three Finnish woodpecker species for microscopic propagules. Samples were taken from bird feet, and chest and tail feathers. Propagules were extracted using a sonication-centrifugation protocol, and the material obtained w

SUBMITTER: Johansson NR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8216901 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature