Abstract

The role of birds in the dispersal of seeds, as well as invertebrates, externally by means of attachment (ectozoochory) and internally via ingestion (endozoochory) has been well explored. The role of birds in dispersing bryophytes, however, has been largely overlooked. The plumage of migratory birds holds a diversity of diaspores, suggesting that bryophytes may be dispersed via ectozoochory. Whether endozoochory plays a role in shaping bryophyte distribution remains unexplored. We developed an efficient protocol for microscopically screening avian fecal samples for diaspores. On Navarino Island, at the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, we collected fecal samples from Chloephaga picata, the Upland Goose, and Attagis malouinus, the White-bellied Seedsnipe, both herbivores, and also from forest birds that feed on plants and insects. Recovered bryophyte diaspores were photographed, and some were placed on culture medium to test for their viability. We report the recovery of vegetative bryophyte diaspores in the fecal samples of the White-bellied Seedsnipe. Culture experiments are currently underway to determine if diaspores may remain viable after passage through the digestive tract of the White-bellied Seedsnipe. If viability of these fragments is confirmed, this evidence would highlight the role of birds in bryophyte dispersal via endozoochory.