Dispersal of aquatic organisms by waterbirds: a review of past research and priorities for future studies

1. Inland wetlands constitute ecological islands of aquatic habitat often isolated by huge areas of non‐suitable terrestrial habitats. Although most aquatic organisms lack the capacity to disperse by themselves to neighbouring catchments, many species present widespread distributions consistent with frequent dispersal by migratory waterbirds. 2. A literature review indicates that bird‐mediated passive transport of propagules of aquatic invertebrates and plants is a frequent process in the field, at least at a local scale. Both endozoochory (internal transport) and ectozoochory (external transport) are important processes. 3. The characteristics of the dispersed and the disperser species that facilitate such…

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  European Commission