Before their extinction 600 years ago, the giant, flightless Moa of New Zealand were eating “colorful” truffles and helping spread their spores. This is what research published earlier this month revealed, where analysis of DNA and spores from fossilized poop revealed this ecological tie. This evidence supports a long-standing hypothesis that truffles from New Zealand are specially adapted to bird dispersal, presumably due to the lack of other natural dispersers in the islands of New Zealand.
Considering that approximately 41% of New Zealand’s native bird populations have gone extinct since the 13th century, what is the fate of New Zealand’s truffles? Indeed, some may adapt or even find newly introduced dispersers, but others will undoubtedly suffer the fungal equivalent of “megafaunal dispersal syndrome.”
This study also has many implications for conservation. How do you conserve species that have lost their mutualistic dispersers? Are there certain truffle-forming fungi that should be prioritized for conservation due to the magnitude of the ecological services they provide? Also, considering the high rate of extinct and threatened animals worldwide, are truffles an inherently at-risk group of fungi?
Link to the original study: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440
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