Oral Paper

         Bryology and Lichenology

Flying First Class: Lichen Dispersal By Icelandic Migratory Birds

Presenting Author
Carly Russell
Description
Lichens have wide, often disjunct ranges, but little is known about their dispersal. Birds may play a key role as dispersal vectors of lichens, but there is a large gap in knowledge concerning which lichens birds regularly carry via ectozoochory, where they collect lichens in their environment, and how fungal and lichen propagule loads differ between bird species, seasons, and geographic regions. Many migratory bird populations in Iceland come into close contact with lichen due to its prevalence in this tundra-dominated Arctic-boreal habitat. As part of my PhD thesis on the role of migratory birds as vectors for dispersal of Arctic fungi, I am investigating the hypotheses that Icelandic birds often encounter epiphytic, saxicolous, and terricolous lichens, and that these birds collect and carry propagules of lichens on their feet and feathers. Here, I will present this methodology and its application at Icelandic bird ringing stations and nest sites over the past 3 years, demonstrating the ability of birds to collect lichen propagules from their environment on their feet, legs, and feathers. With this important data, I aim to link the transport of lichen propagules with the intercontinental migration routes of the birds in order to provide insight into important hypotheses on the long-distance dispersal of lichens.