ArticleAnnals of botany2025
Diversity of fungi attached to birds corresponds to the habitat ecologies of their avian dispersal vectors.
Article in Annals of botany, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Molecular detection of medically relevant Sporothrix species in roadkilled wildlife in the Brazilian Atlantic forest.Mycopathologia · 2026Article
- Convergent symbioses: morphology, life history, and niche specialization in coral and lichen mutualisms.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- Comparative Analysis of Fungal Spore Flora Among Birds, Insects and Air in a Temperate Japanese Forest.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Lichens in times of climate change - impacts and responses especially in boreal and polar ecosystems.MycoKeys · 2026Review
- Migratory Songbirds as Potential Ectozoochorous Protist Dispersal Vectors.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Avian taxi drivers? A commentary on 'Diversity of fungi attached to birds corresponds to the habitat ecologies of their avian dispersal vectors'.Annals of botany · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsAnimal-mediated transport of propagules is an important aspect of dispersal in many organisms, but severely understudied in fungi. Birds appear as natural dispersal vectors for many fungi, as they are often both mobile and migratory, potentially providing directed transport of fungal propagules to suitable sites for establishment. However, information of which fungal taxa are transported by which bird vectors is lacking.
methodsBy using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of feather and feet swabs collected from bird species with two contrasting habitat ecologies (European robin Erithacus rubecula and goldcrest Regulus regulus), we identify and compare the diversity of fungi attached to these birds. KEY
resultsWe identified over 600 fungal taxa attached to and potentially transported by the birds. Differences in the fungal assemblages of the two bird species corresponded with species-specific patterns in the natural histories of transported fungi and the bird vector.
conclusionsOur findings show that bird-mediated transport can be important for a variety of fungal taxa, especially at medium to long transport distances. Taxa particularly affected include plant pathogens, saprobic macrofungi and sorediate macrolichens, especially those with specific habitat requirements.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.