Climate and microhabitat shape the prevalence of endozoochory in the seed rain of tropical montane forests
Data files
Jan 12, 2023 version files 259.32 KB
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Climate_microhabitat_montane_forests_southern_Ecuador.csv
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README.docx
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README.md
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Seed_rain_data_montane_forests_southern_Ecuador.csv
Abstract
Endozoochory, the dispersal of seeds by animal ingestion, is the most dominant mode of seed dispersal in tropical forests and is a key process shaping current and future forest dynamics. However, it remains largely unknown how endozoochory is associated with environmental conditions at regional and local scales. Here, we investigated the effects of elevation, climate and microhabitat conditions on the proportion of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of the tropical Andes of southern Ecuador. Over one year, we measured seed rain in 162 seed traps on nine 1-ha forest plots located at 1000 m, 2000 m, and 3000 m a.s.l. We recorded climatic conditions (mean annual temperature and rainfall) in each plot and microhabitat conditions (leaf area index and soil moisture) adjacent to each seed trap. In total, we recorded 331,838 seeds belonging to 323 morphospecies. Overall, the proportion of endozoochorous species in the seed rain decreased with elevation. Relative biomass of endozoochorous species decreased with increasing rainfall, whereas the relative seed richness of endozoochorous species increased with increasing temperature and leaf area index. These findings suggest an interplay between climate factors and microhabitat conditions in shaping the importance of endozoochorous plant species in the seed rain of tropical montane forests. We conclude that changing climatic and microhabitat conditions are likely to cause changes in the dominant dispersal modes of plant communities which may trigger changes in current and future dynamics of tropical forests.
Methods
Seed rain collection in 162 traps (each trap, 60 x 60 cm) located along an elevational gradient (from 1000 to 3000 m a.s.l.) in forest plots of 1 ha, in southern Ecuador.
Climate and microhabitat conditions recorded at plot and trap level along an elevational gradient (from 1000 to 3000 m a.s.l.) in forest plots of 1 ha, in southern Ecuador.
Usage notes
README
File with general introduction to all the data files used in this publication.
Seed_rain_data_montane_forests_southern_Ecuador.csv
Data on seed rain collected over one year (2019) along an elevational gradient of 2000 m in southern Ecuador.
Climate_microhabitat_montane_forests_southern_Ecuador.csv
Data on seed rain collected over one year (2019) along an elevational gradient of 2000 m in southern Ecuador.