科学美国人60秒：苔藓是怎么从北极传播到南美洲的？

This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Erika Beras. Got a minute?

这里是《科学美国人》的60秒科学，我是艾丽卡·贝拉。准备好了吗?

You could be in the Arctic and spot some moss. And then you could be at the tip of South America and spot the same kind of moss—and never find it in between. So how did this particular plant get so well-traveled? Turns out it flew.

你可能在北极发现了一些苔藓。然后你可能会在南美洲的顶端发现同样的苔藓，而在这两地之间永远找不到它。那么这种特殊的植物是如何传播得如此之远的呢?原来，它是飞来的。

We’ve long known that birds spread seeds. But new research says migrating birds also spread microscopic spores.

我们早就知道鸟类会传播种子。但新的研究表明，候鸟也会传播微小的孢子。

The birds harbor tiny parts of plants and lichens in their feathers, setting up similar colonies thousands of miles apart. That’s according to a study in the journal PeerJ.

这些鸟类在它们的羽毛中藏有植物和地衣的微小部分，在相隔数千英里的地方建立了类似的群落。这是根据《PeerJ》杂志上的一项研究得出的结论。

Scientists inspected feathers from birds in the Arctic that were about to leave for South America. Fragments from mosses, algae, lichens and liverworts were trapped in the feathers. All of which can grow into new whole organisms.

科学家们检查了即将飞往南美洲的北极鸟类的羽毛。苔藓、藻类、地衣和苔类植物的碎片被夹在羽毛中。所有这些都可以生长成新的完整的有机体。

The researchers think that long-distance fliers such as the American golden-plover and the white-rumped sandpiper picked up the spores while lining their nests. Then when the birds arrive in new places they molt, leaving behind the feathers and their precious cargo—to start growing again at the other end of the world.

研究人员认为，像美国金鸻和白臀矶鹬这样的长途飞行者在筑巢时会携带上孢子。然后，当这些鸟到达新的地方时，它们会蜕皮，留下羽毛和珍贵的货物(孢子)——在世界的另一端重新开始生长。

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Erika Beras.

感谢收听《科学美国人》的60秒科学。艾丽卡·贝拉报道。