Seedlings recruited of 22 plant species in the Colombian Andes

In the Andes of Colombia (Cordillera Central, in Risaralda) we established ten plots (100 x 20 m), along an elevational gradient from 1,800 m up to 2,700 m above sea level. Each plot was separated of each other 100 m elevation. In each plot, we set up a data logger to measured abiotic conditions, i.e. temperature and humidity. We also counted all adult fleshy-fruited plant species in each plot, including individuals that were not bearing fruits at the moment of our surveys. Moreover, in each plot we randomly distributed 60 subplots (1 m2) to record the seedlings of the fleshy-fruited plants consumed by the frugivores. The seedlings surveys took place in March 2012 and January 2013. We defined seedlings as individuals with a height above 20 cm and a non-woody stem. All seedlings were identified to species level and the data provide the family and order. We quantified the number of seedlings per species and subplot by summing the individuals recorded in March 2012 plus the newly established individuals in January 2013. In addition, we estimated three measures of light in each subplot: 1) percentage of canopy openness, (2) effective leaf area index (LAI) and (3) total percentage of transmitted diffuse-direct radiation. Finally, we collected between 10-30 ripe fruits from one to three individuals per plant species and we separated seeds from pulp. We dried the seeds and obtain an average of the seed mass for each plant species. The purpose of the data was to quantify the seedling recruitment of the plant species consumed by the frugivores and to test the effect of the abiotic factors on the recruitment (light, temperature and humidity) and the effect of seed mass.