Abstract
Endozoochory by waterbirds is particularly relevant to the dispersal of non-flying aquatic invertebrates. This ecological function exercised by birds has been demonstrated in different biogeographical regions, but there are no studies for the neotropical region. In this work, we identified propagules of invertebrates in faeces of 14 syntopic South American waterbird species representing six families, and hatched additional invertebrates from cultured faeces. We tested whether propagule abundance, species richness and composition varied among bird species, and between the cold and warm seasons. We found 164 invertebrate propagules in faecal samples from seven different waterbirds species, including eggs of the Temnocephalida and Notonectidae, statoblasts of bryozoans (Plumatella sp.) and ephippia of Cladocera. Ciliates (including Paramecium sp. and Litostomatea), nematodes and rotifers (Adineta sp. and Nottomatidae) hatched from cultured samples. Potential for endozoochory was confirmed for 12 of 14 waterbird species. Our statistical models suggest that richness and abundance of propagules are associated with bird species and not affected by seasonality. Dispersal by endozoochory is potentially important to a broad variety of invertebrates, being promoted by waterbirds with different ecological and morphological traits, which are likely to drive the dispersal of invertebrates in neotropical wetlands.
Highlights
The wide geographic distribution of non-flying freshwater invertebrates is an intriguing ecological issue (Bilton et al, 2001; Brochet et al, 2010)
Invertebrate propagules or whole individuals are transported attached to external parts of the vector or inside the vector’s digestive tract, and both processes are fundamental to the dispersal of many aquatic invertebrates between isolated wetlands (Figuerola and Green, 2002; Vanschoenwinkel et al, 2011)
Considering the known wide spectrum of invertebrate taxa dispersed by endozoochory of waterbirds (Green and Figuerola, 2005; Brochet et al, 2010; Laux and Kolsch, 2014; Rogers, 2014; Simonová et al, 2016; Lovas-Kiss et al, 2019; Moreno et al, 2019), it is likely that the propagules found did not hatch because they had all been frozen, the effect of freezing in propagules is unknown for invertebrates found in this study
Summary
The wide geographic distribution of non-flying freshwater invertebrates is an intriguing ecological issue (Bilton et al, 2001; Brochet et al, 2010). In this process, invertebrate propagules or whole individuals are transported attached to external parts of the vector (epi- or ectozoochory) or inside the vector’s digestive tract (endozoochory), and both processes are fundamental to the dispersal of many aquatic invertebrates between isolated wetlands (Figuerola and Green, 2002; Vanschoenwinkel et al, 2011)
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