Evidence for avian zoochory promoting fish colonization

Understanding how obligate freshwater organisms colonize seemingly isolated ecosystems has long fascinated ecologists. While recent investigations reveal that fish eggs can survive the digestive tract of birds and successfully hatch once deposited, evidence for avian zoochory in natura is still lacking. Here, we used a ‘multiple lines and levels of evidence’ approach to demonstrate possible bird-mediated colonization of lakes by the European perch (Perca fluviatilis).

Garcia, F., Paz-Vinas, I., Santoul, F., Gaujard, A., Olden, J.D., and J. Cucherousset. 2023. Multiple lines and levels of evidence for avian zoochory promoting fish colonization of artificial lakes. Biology Letters. 19: 20220533. Article

And here is our response to Vasemagi et al. Article