Birds are well known for being important dispersers of many plants, especially via ingested seeds. However, also many other types of organisms may travel attached to birds even over great distances. For example, woodpeckers carry diverse biological material in their feet and feathers, especially bryophyte fragments, fungal spores, and vegetative propagules of lichens, but also freshwater diatoms, bryophyte spores, algal cells, testate amebae, rotifers, nematodes, and pollen. As tree-dwelling birds, woodpeckers represent ideal dispersal vectors for organisms sharing similar habitats, like epiphytic lichens, bryophytes, and fungi growing on tree trunks.
Johansson NR, Kaasalainen U, Rikkinen J. 2021. Woodpeckers can act as dispersal vectors for fungi, plants, and microorganisms. Ecology and Evolution 11: 7154–7163, doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7648.
Keywords: epizoochory, long-distance dispersal, bird-mediated dispersal, dispersal ecology, Dryocopus martius, Dendrocopos major, Picus canus, Finland, Luomus collections, collection-based research
