Data from: Community-wide epizoochorous interactions revealed from roadkilled mammals
Data files
Jan 09, 2026 version files 18.14 KB
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AllRoadkill.csv
5.11 KB
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README.md
3.20 KB
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SeedsRK_script_revised.R
7.48 KB
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SeedsRoadkill.csv
2.35 KB
Abstract
This dataset contains records of roadkilled mammals collected in To Japan. For each individual, species, sex, body weight, and the presence of externally attached seeds were recorded. The data were collected to investigate seasonal variation in epizoochorous seed dispersal by mammals. This dataset can be used to explore ecological interactions between roadkilled animals and plant seed dispersal, with implications for understanding dispersal dynamics in fragmented landscapes.
A lack of information persists on external seed dispersal interactions, despite the rich diversity of potential dispersers. Roadkills offer a unique opportunity to obtain ecological data directly from carcasses. For 18 years, we collected road-killed mammals in Toyama (Japan) and screened them for seed attachment. We then illustrated species interactions, quantified the number of plant species and seeds individual roadkill carried, and evaluated seasonal variations in the probability of seed attachment. We identified nine mammal species dispersing seeds from 16 distinct plant taxa. Most importantly, medium-sized mammals (1.5–10.0 kg) accounted for approximately 88% of roadkill carrying seeds, with raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) dispersing the most seeds. Likely due to seed-set phenology, we showed a significant increase in seed prevalence for roadkills occurring in autumn. We advocate for future studies in epizoochory to focus on potential animal dispersers community wide.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v41ns1s8k
Description of the data and file structure
The data were collected as part of a research investigating the plant-mammal interactions in epizoochorous seed dispersal from roadkills.
Files and variables
File: AllRoadkill.csv
Description: This dataset includes information on all roadkill individuals examined in the research.
Variables
- ID: The identification number assigned to each roadkill individual.
- Species: Mammal species of the roadkill.
- Year: The year in which the roadkill was collected.
- Month: The month in which the roadkill was collected.
- Day: The day on which the roadkill was collected.
File: SeedsRK_script_revised.R
Description: The R script which was used to conduct statistical analyses and visualization.
File: SeedsRoadkill.csv
Description: This dataset includes information of seeds attached to examined roadkills.
Variables
- ID: The identification number assigned to each roadkill individual. This ID corresponds to the same ID used in AllRoadkill.csv.
- Year: The year in which the roadkill was collected.
- Month:The month in which the roadkill was collected.
- Day: The day in which the roadkill was collected.
- Species: Mammal species of the roadkill.
- Achyranthes_bidentata: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Desmodium_podocarpum: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Circaea_mollis: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Sanicula_chinensis: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Agrimonia_pilosa: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Miscanthus_sinensis: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Torilis_japonica: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Bidens_frondosa: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Oplismenus_undulatifolious: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Persicaria_filiformis: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Osmorhiza_aristata: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Pennisetum_alopecuroides: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- Angelica_spp: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- unknown1: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- unknown2: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- unknown3: The number of seeds attached to the roadkill by plant species.
- TotalSeeds: The total number of seeds attached to the roadkill.
- TotalSpecies: The total number of seed species attached to the roadkill.
Code/software
We used R version 4.5.1 (R Core Team, 2025) to analyze the data. The following R packages were loaded: dplyr, tidyr, readr, openxlsx for data manipulation, bipartite and ggplot2 for plotting.
The analysis scripts are included in the submission and can be run in sequence to reproduce the results.