Frugivore-mediated seed dispersal in fragmented landscapes: Compositional and functional turnover from forest to matrix

Seed dispersal by frugivores is a fundamental function for plant community dynamics in fragmented landscapes, where forest remnants are typically embedded in a matrix of anthropogenic habitats. Frugivores can mediate both connectivity among forest remnants and plant colonization of the matrix. However, it remains poorly understood how frugivore communities change from forest to matrix due to the loss or replacement of species with traits that are less advantageous in open habitats, and whether such changes ultimately influence the composition and traits of dispersed plants via species interactions. Here, we close this gap by using a unique dataset of seed-dispersal networks that were sampled in forest patches and adjacent matrix habitats of seven fragmented landscapes across Europe. We found a similar diversity of frugivores, plants and interactions contributing to seed dispersal in forest and matrix, but a high turnover (replacement) in all these components. The turnover of dispersed s..., , , # Frugivore-mediated seed dispersal in fragmented landscapes: compositional and functional turnover from forest to matrix

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw427](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1c59zw427)

Datasets
**1.** **\"ML\_interactions\_dna\_barcoding\_samples.csv\"**
**2\. \"ML\_networks\_per\_landscape\_habitat\.csv\"**
**3\. \"ML\_disperser\_traits\.csv\"**
**4\. \"ML\_bird\_migration\.csv\"**
**5\. \"ML\_plant\_traits\.csv\"**

## Description of the data and file structure

**1\. \"ML\_interactions\_dna\_barcoding\_samples\.csv\"**
Data on the samples of bird droppings and mammal scats for which we successfully identified the bird species that dispersed the seeds through DNA-barcoding analysis. The dataset includes 3093 rows for 3063 samples because some samples (droppings or scats) included more than one seed species. That is, 3063 samples included 3093 interaction events between a frugivore-plant species pair, and contained a total of 14,683 seeds.

Variables:

1. **sample\_code**: sa...