Data from: Variation in seed dispersal effectiveness: the redundancy of consequences in diversified tropical frugivore assemblages

Plant–frugivore mutualistic assemblages frequently combine multiple, complementary or not (i.e. redundant), distinct effects of animal species. To a large extent, the outcomes of these interactions crucially depend on the delayed consequences of frugivore effectiveness on plant recruitment. We evaluated seed dispersal effectiveness for three plant species in a Brazilian Atlantic forest with a marked habitat heterogeneity defined by bamboo and non-bamboo patches. Twenty one, 23 and 14 bird species ate fruits of Euterpe edulis, Sloanea guianensis and Virola bicuhyba trees, respectively. For both Euterpe and Virola, visitation rate was the variable contributing for most variance across frugivore species in the quantitative component of effectiveness (QC, which depends on the combined effects of interaction frequency and per-interaction effect), while the number of fruits manipulated/visit had the greatest contribution in Sloanea. By combining observational data and experimental seed addition for Euterpe we tested for consistent functional patterns among species in the frugivore assemblage, extending beyond the fruit removal stage. Rankings of QC across Euterpe frugivores remained consistent with their relative contributions to fruit removal and, importantly, with their contributions to seedling establishment. Yet, QC of effectiveness across Euterpe frugivores were more homogeneous at the fruit removal and dispersal stages (contribution to seed dispersal) than for the delayed, dissemination and post-dispersal effects on recruitment. High complementarity of diversified frugivore assemblages may increase through added variance in their delayed effects related to qualitative components of effectiveness. Our results underscore the importance of assessing how dispersal services provided by mutualistic frugivores play complementary, rather than redundant, roles in seed dispersal within heterogeneous landscapes. Such ecological outcomes highlight the value of combining observational and experimental field designs to assess functional diversity patterns of tropical frugivore assemblages and delayed effects of their interactions with plants.

植物-食果动物互利集合群落往往整合了动物物种的多种、互补或非互补（即冗余）的独特效应。在很大程度上，这些互作的结果关键取决于食果动物传播有效性对植物定植的滞后效应。我们在一处生境异质性显著的巴西大西洋森林中开展研究，该森林以竹生斑块与非竹生斑块为典型特征，评估了3种植物的种子传播有效性。共有21、23和14种鸟类分别取食Euterpe edulis、Sloanea guianensis与Virola bicuhyba的果实。对于Euterpe和Virola而言，访问频率是决定食果动物物种在有效性数量组分（quantitative component of effectiveness，QC，由互作频率与单次互作效应的共同作用决定）中变异的最主要变量；而对于Sloanea来说，单次访问所处理的果实数量则对其QC变异贡献最大。我们结合Euterpe的观测数据与种子添加实验，检验了食果动物集合群落在物种间存在一致的功能模式，且该模式不限于果实移除阶段。Euterpe食果动物的QC排名与其对果实移除的相对贡献保持一致，且尤为重要的是，与其对幼苗建成的贡献相符。然而，Euterpe食果动物的有效性QC在果实移除与传播阶段（对种子传播的贡献）的均一性高于其在滞后效应、传播后及定植后阶段的效应。多样化食果动物集合群落的高度互补性，可能会因与有效性质量组分相关的滞后效应的变异增加而增强。我们的研究结果强调了评估互利食果动物提供的传播服务如何在异质性景观中发挥互补而非冗余的作用的重要性。此类生态学结果凸显了结合观测与实验野外设计，以评估热带食果动物集合群落的功能多样性模式及其与植物互作的滞后效应的价值。