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You could be in the Arctic and spot some moss.
你也許曾在北極見到過一種苔蘚。
And then you could be at the tip of South America and spot the same kind of moss—and never find it in between.
然后又在南美的某個山頂也發(fā)現(xiàn)了它的蹤影—但是在兩地之間卻不曾發(fā)現(xiàn)它們的存在。
So how did this particular plant get so well-traveled?
那么這種特別的植物究竟是如何跨界的？
Turns out it flew.
研究結(jié)果表明是它是依靠飛行傳播。
We've long known that birds spread seeds.
我們很早就知道鳥類是可以傳播種子的。
But new research says migrating birds also spread microscopic spores.
但是最新的研究認為鳥類的遷徙活動也會傳播微型孢子。
The birds harbor tiny parts of plants and lichens in their feathers, setting up similar colonies thousands of miles apart.
鳥類可以用羽毛夾帶部分的植物和地衣，在幾千公里以外的類似生態(tài)群落中它們便可繼續(xù)生存。
That's according to a study in the journal PeerJ.
這是根據(jù)PeerJ雜志上刊登的一篇研究得出的結(jié)論。
Scientists inspected feathers from birds in the Arctic that were about to leave for South America.
科學家們對現(xiàn)居北極即將飛往南美的鳥類的羽毛進行了研究。
Fragments from mosses, algae, lichens and liverworts were trapped in the feathers.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)其中殘存著微量苔蘚，藻類，地衣以及地錢片。
All of which can grow into new whole organisms.
這些都可以繼續(xù)成長變成整株植物。
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.
研究人員們認為像美洲金珩和白尾斑鷸這樣的長距離飛鳥在巢旁等待出發(fā)時會夾帶這些微型孢子。
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.。
然后當它們到達換毛所在的新地區(qū)時，便會褪去以前的羽毛并放下貨物—于是這些孢子便開始在世界的另一端重新開始生長。
