Data from: Unravelling seed dispersal through fragmented landscapes: frugivore species operate unevenly as mobile links

Seed dispersal constitutes a pivotal process in an increasingly fragmented
world, promoting population connectivity, colonization and range shifts in
plants. Unveiling how multiple frugivore species disperse seeds through
fragmented landscapes, operating as mobile links, has remained elusive
owing to methodological constraints for monitoring seed dispersal events.
We combine for the first time DNA barcoding and DNA microsatellites to
identify, respectively, the frugivore species and the source trees of
animal-dispersed seeds in forest and matrix of a fragmented landscape. We
found a high functional complementarity among frugivores in terms of seed
deposition at different habitats (forest vs. matrix), perches (isolated
trees vs. electricity pylons) and matrix sectors (close vs. far from the
forest edge), cross-habitat seed fluxes, dispersal distances, and
canopy-cover dependency. Seed rain at the landscape-scale, from forest to
distant matrix sectors, was characterized by turnovers in the contribution
of frugivores and source-tree habitats: open-habitat frugivores replaced
forest-dependent frugivores, whereas matrix trees replaced forest trees.
As a result of such turnovers, the magnitude of seed rain was evenly
distributed between habitats and landscape sectors. We thus uncover key
mechanisms behind ‘biodiversity–ecosystem function’ relationships, in this
case, the relationship between frugivore diversity and landscape-scale
seed dispersal. Our results reveal the importance of open-habitat
frugivores, isolated fruiting trees, and anthropogenic perching sites
(infrastructures) in generating seed dispersal events far from the remnant
forest, highlighting their potential to drive regeneration dynamics
through the matrix. This study helps to broaden the ‘mobile link’ concept
in seed dispersal studies by providing a comprehensive and integrative
view of the way in which multiple frugivore species disseminate seeds
through real-world landscapes.

种子传播是日益碎片化的世界中一个至关重要的过程，能促进植物的种群连通性、定殖与分布范围迁移。探究作为移动连接者（mobile links）的多种食果动物如何在碎片化景观中传播种子，这一问题因监测种子传播事件的方法学限制而一直难以阐明。我们首次结合DNA条形码（DNA barcoding）与DNA微卫星（DNA microsatellites）技术，分别识别碎片化景观中森林与基质区域内动物传播种子的食果动物物种及其来源树。研究发现，食果动物在不同生境（森林vs.基质）、停歇点（孤立树木vs.电塔）、基质区域（近森林边缘vs.远森林边缘）的种子沉积模式、跨生境种子流动、传播距离及冠层覆盖依赖性方面，存在高度功能互补性。从森林到偏远基质区域的景观尺度种子雨，其特征是食果动物与来源树生境的贡献发生更替：开放生境食果动物取代依赖森林的食果动物，基质树木则取代森林树木。这种更替导致种子雨强度在生境与景观区域间均匀分布。因此，我们揭示了“生物多样性—生态系统功能”关系背后的关键机制，本研究中具体指食果动物多样性与景观尺度种子传播的关联。研究结果凸显了开放生境食果动物、孤立果树及人为停歇点（基础设施）在残留森林偏远区域促成种子传播事件的重要性，以及它们通过基质推动更新动态的潜力。本研究通过全面整合地展示多种食果动物在真实景观中传播种子的方式，拓展了种子传播研究中的“移动连接者”概念。