Data from: Dispersal of fungi spores by non-specialized flower-visiting birds

Birds are important biotic dispersers of a wide range of propagules. Fungi spores are mainly dispersed by wind. Nevertheless there are several animals known to disperse fungi spores, which might be particularly important if spores are delivered to particularly favourable sites i.e. directed dispersal. This may be especially important for fungi that require specific microsites such as flowers. We sampled birds for the presence of fungi spores and pollen grains during one year at two forest sites in central Portugal. We found that out of the 894 birds sampled, 131 individuals from 11 species carried spores from at least 6 morphological types, mainly during winter. The great majority of birds found to carry fungi spores was also found to carry pollen grains, suggesting that they were feeding on flowers which are the main origin of the spores. This co-dispersion of pollen and fungi spores suggest that the latter are not randomly dispersed on the environment, but are likely to have an increased probability of being deposited on flowers propitious to fungi development. Our results suggest that directed dispersal of fungi by flower-visiting birds might by a common and under-appreciated phenomenon with potentially important ecological, biogeographic and even economic outcomes.

鸟类是多种繁殖体（propagules）的重要生物传播者。真菌孢子主要依靠风力进行传播。不过目前已有多种动物被证实可传播真菌孢子，若孢子能被精准投递至适宜生境，即定向传播（directed dispersal），这类传播方式或许尤为关键。对于依赖特定微生境（如花卉）的真菌而言，此类定向传播的意义尤为突出。

本研究于葡萄牙中部两处林地开展了为期一年的鸟类采样，检测其体表是否携带真菌孢子与花粉粒。结果显示，在采样的894只鸟类中，共11个物种的131只个体携带了至少6种形态型的真菌孢子，且该现象主要集中于冬季。绝大多数携带真菌孢子的鸟类同时携带花粉粒，这表明它们曾取食花卉——而花卉正是此类孢子的主要来源。

花粉与真菌孢子的协同传播现象表明，真菌孢子并非随机散布于环境中，而是更有可能被投递至利于真菌生长发育的花卉生境。本研究结果显示，访花鸟类介导的真菌定向传播或许是一种普遍存在却未得到足够重视的现象，其可能对生态、生物地理乃至经济层面产生重要影响。