Data from: Impact of human foraging on tree diversity, composition and abundance in a tropical rainforest Sijeh A. Asuk1,2,3*, Thomas J. Matthews1,2,5, Jonathan P. Sadler1,2, Thomas A. M. Pugh1,2,4, Vincent T. Ebu3, and Nicholas Kettridge1,2 1School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom 2Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom 3Department of Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, University of Calabar, PMB1115 Calabar, Nigeria 4Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden 5CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group and Universidade dos Açores – Depto de Ciências Agráriase Engenharia do Ambiente, PT-9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal. Correspondence: *sijehasuk@gmail.com, sijehasuk@unical.edu.ng DATA DESCRIPTION 1. Asuk_et_al_raw_plot_data.csv contains plot data for the tree species inventory conducted in 15 permanent sample plots in Oban Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria. The .csv file contains 1181 rows and 11 columns. The column titles are described as follows: SN: Row serial number Continent: Continent where the plots are located Country: Country where the plots are located Cluster_No: Cluster number where the plot is grouped in. There are five clusters, therefore cluster number should range from 1 to 5. Plot_Code: This column is for the plot code. There are 15 plot codes representing the 15 plots established. Each plot is coded with an alphabet-number-alphabet-number system (e.g., L1P1). The first alphabet and number represent the cluster where the plot is located (e.g., L1 to L5) then the second alphabet and number represents the number of plots in each cluster (example P1 to P3). Minumum_Plot_Dimention (m) and Maximum_Plot_Dimention (m): Minimum and maximum length of plot dimension in meters. PI: Principal investigator Species_Code: The code for the species used in the analysis Edibility_Category: This is the category in which the tree species is categorized into (i.e., edible, or inedible) Elevation (m): Elevation, in meter above sea level, where the tree stand is located. 2. Asuk_et_al_plot_data_summary.csv contains summarised plot data including plot code, mean elevation in meters above sea level (grouped into edible and inedible to ease analysis), total basal area (square meters), mean basal area (square meters), longitude and latitude (UTM) and distance between plots (m). 3. Asuk_et_al_dbh_size_distribution.csv contains data on diameter at breast height (DBH) in cm, Basal area (square meters), plot number (from 1 to 15) and Species category (species). 4. Asuk_et_al_species_cateory contains all the species classified as edible and inedible. This is for information and not needed for the analysis. 5. Asuk_et_al_Biotropica.R is the R code for generating the results presented in the manuscript. RStudio software is required to use the R code. RStudio is an open-source software that can be downloaded from https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/. After RStudio is downloaded and installed, download, and extract all files into your directory (folder or drive). Open RStudio and then set the directory where the data is saved as your working directory in RStudio using the line of code setwd(“//your directory/Asuk_el_al_data_summary”) The R packages listed in the code are required to successfully run the R code without errors. To install the packages for the first time, kindly use the line code “install.packages(‘package name’)” for each package before using the codes library(package name).