Paleontologists have discovered ancient DNA and truffle-like fungal spores, including at least one colorful species. Upland More (Megalapteryx didinus) an extinct species of giant flightless bird endemic to New Zealand.
Boast et al. We report ancient DNA and spores from inside two coprolites in the highland MOA (Megalapteryx didinus) that reveals the consumption and possible dispersal of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Image credit: Jiji et al. , doi:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440.
Fungi like truffles have fruit bodies that never fully open and have no way to expel the spores.
Other fungi do this by wind, but fungi like truffles rely on animals to consume them and disperse their spores.
Overseas, such fungi, including true truffles, are generally monotonous, have a strong aroma, and are very attractive to mammals.
In contrast, New Zealanders are often brightly colored, resembling fallen fruit on the forest floor.
These fungi may have relied on fruit-eating birds for dispersal, but there is little evidence that modern native birds eat them.
Ecologists have long debated that the original disperser must have been an extinct bird, but this has never been demonstrated.
In new research, Dr. Alexander boasts about Manaki.
The specimen was discovered in Hodges Creek Cave, near the Upper Takaka River basin in northwest Nelson and Takaha Valley (TV) in Fiordland on New Zealand’s South Island.
“Previous studies on coprolites have already shown that extinct MOAs ate brightly colored fruits and other plant matter, but new analysis shows that MOAs actually fed on these colorful truffle-like fungal species. ,” the researchers said.
“This discovery adds weight to the idea that these fungi have specifically evolved to be attractive to fruit-eating birds.”
“The MOA would have been good at dispersing fungal spores. Comparisons with its distant cousin The Ostrich, which retains food for about 36 hours after eating it, suggest that the MOA would have carried spores into the intestines over long distances.” It shows that we were able to do it.”
“But given that large birds are going extinct, what if these fungi are driving the dispersal they once depended on?”
“What will ultimately happen to these evolutionary anachronisms? Species that rely on other species to establish and thrive on things that are no longer there?”
“Furthermore, how might this loss affect the resilience and ability of current native forests to regenerate and expand?”
“Remaining species of herbivorous subterranean birds such as Weka are unlikely to compensate for the loss of MOA in dispersing these fungi.”
“In turn, this may have a knock-on effect on overall forest resilience today.”
“Forest species such as beech in New Zealand have evolved symbiotic relationships with native fungi, such as those detected at MoA Poos, benefiting regeneration and resilience, and the native fungi in the mix help improve forest resilience. may decrease.”
team’s paper Published in journal biology letters.
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Alexander P. Boasts et al. 2025. Coprolite DNA and spores reveal that the colorful truffle-like fungus endemic to New Zealand was consumed by the extinct MOA (Dinornithiformes). Biol. Lett 21(1):20240440; doi:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440
Source: www.sci.news
