Phoresy in animals: review and synthesis of a common but understudied mode of dispersal

Journal Article · Sun Sep 13 04:00:00 UTC 2020 · Biological Reviews

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12654 · OSTI ID:1711376

Bartlow, Andrew W.  ^[1]; Agosta, Salvatore J.  ^[2]

---

1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2. Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA (United States)

Phoresy is a type of interaction in which one species, the phoront, uses another species, the dispersal host, for transportation to new habitats or resources. Despite being a widespread behaviour, little is known about the ecology and evolution of phoresy. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive review of phoretic dispersal in animals and to bring renewed attention to this subject. We surveyed literature published between 1900 and 2020 to understand the extent of known higher-level taxonomic diversity (phyla, classes, and orders) and functional aspects of animals that use phoretic dispersal. Species dispersing phoretically have been observed in at least 13 animal phyla, 25 classes, and 60 orders. The majority of known phoronts are arthropods (Phylum Euarthropoda) in terrestrial habitats, but phoronts also occur in freshwater and marine environments. Marine phoronts may be severely under-represented in the literature due to the relative difficulty of studying these systems. Phoronts are generally small with low mobility and use habitats or resources that are ephemeral and/or widely dispersed. Many phoronts are also parasites. In general, animals that engage in phoresy use a wide variety of morphological and behavioural traits for locating, attaching to, and detaching from dispersal hosts, but the exact mechanisms behind these activities are largely unknown. In addition to diversity, we discuss the evolution of phoresy including the long-standing idea that it can be a precursor to parasitism and other forms of symbioses. To conclude, we suggest several areas of future research to improve our understanding of phoresy and its ecological and evolutionary significance.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Grant/Contract Number: 89233218CNA000001
• OSTI ID: 1711376
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--19-22175
• Journal Information: Biological Reviews, Journal Name: Biological Reviews Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 96; ISSN 1464-7931
• Publisher: WileyCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English