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Ecology

Mistletoe seed dispersal by a marsupial

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Abstract

The temperate forest that extends from 35° S to 55° S along the Pacific rim of southern South America is home to an endemic and threatened flora and fauna1. Many species belong to lineages that can be traced back to ancient Gondwanaland2,3, and there are some unusual interactions between plants and animals. Here we describe an exclusive association that involves the dispersal of the sticky seeds of a mistletoe by a marsupial, Dromiciops australis, endemic to this region — a task previously thought to be carried out exclusively by birds.

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Figure 1: Seed dispersal of Tristerix corymbosus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio Ecotono, CRUB, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Unidad Postal Universidad, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche , Río Negro, Argentina

    Guillermo Amico & Marcelo A. Aizen

Authors
  1. Guillermo Amico
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  2. Marcelo A. Aizen
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Correspondence to Marcelo A. Aizen.

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Amico, G., Aizen, M. Mistletoe seed dispersal by a marsupial. Nature 408, 929–930 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35050170

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