Seed size, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion patterns for native and introduced grassland plants

Most terrestrial plants disperse by seeds, yet the relationship between seed mass, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion is poorly understood. We quantified seed traits for 48 species of native and introduced plants from grasslands of western Montana, USA, to investigate the relationships between seed traits and plant dispersion patterns. Additionally, because the linkage between dispersal traits and dispersion patterns might be stronger for actively dispersing species, we compared these patterns between native and introduced plants. Finally, we evaluated the efficacy of a global trait database, the TRY plant traits database, versus locally collected data for examining these questions. This archive contains species-level data used in analyses, including species metadata (origin, growth form), mean values of measured seed traits (size metrics and type of dispersal structures), two metrics of dispersion (local and broad scales, respectively) derived from grassland surveys in the study region, and information on the seed mass accessed from the TRY traits database. Note that the latter seed mass data could not be included in the archive, but can be acquired directly from the TRY plant traits database (https://www.try-db.org/TryWeb/Home.php).

多数陆生植物以种子进行扩散，但学界对种子质量、种子扩散性状与植物扩散格局之间的关联仍知之甚少。本研究针对美国蒙大拿州西部草原的48种本土与外来植物开展种子性状量化分析，以探究种子性状与植物扩散格局之间的关联。此外，鉴于扩散性状与扩散格局的关联在主动扩散物种中可能更为显著，本研究对比了本土与外来植物的扩散格局差异。最后，本研究评估了全球性状数据库TRY植物性状数据库（TRY plant traits database）与本地采集数据在解答上述研究问题时的有效性。本数据集存档包含分析所用的物种水平数据，具体包括：物种元数据（起源、生长型）、实测种子性状的平均值（包括大小指标与传播结构类型）、基于研究区域草原调查得到的两种扩散度量指标（分别对应局域尺度与广域尺度），以及从TRY植物性状数据库获取的种子质量相关信息。请注意，前述种子质量数据并未纳入本存档，使用者可直接通过TRY植物性状数据库（https://www.try-db.org/TryWeb/Home.php）获取该数据。