Dung beetle activity had no positive effect on nutrient concentration or performance of established rainforest seedlings

All five datasets from this study correspond to field observations collected for seedlings of six tree species (Brosimum alicastrum, Calophyllum brasiliense, Cymbopetalum baillonii, Diospyros digyna, Omphalea oleifera and Poulsenia armata) in a tropical rainforest (Los Tuxtlas, Mexico). We estimated the concentrations of foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), resource allocation (the ratio of biomass allocated to shoot vs root), seedling survival, and growth. Experimental seedlings were subject to three treatment levels: (a) feces added and beetles active, (b) feces added and beetles excluded, and (c) no feces added (and consequently no beetles active). We analyzed data at two levels: community (all plant species together) and individual species. For resource allocation (ESM_Dataset1_RootShoot) we weighed aerial parts (stem and leaves) and roots, separately, and calculated the root/shoot biomass ratio for each seedling. For foliar nutrients (ESM_Dataset2_FoliarNutrients) we obtained N ...