Roads shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges

The influence of road networks on seed dispersal remains poorly understood. We conducted a field experiment in Mediterranean oak woodlands of southern Portugal to assess how road type (paved vs. unpaved) and road-forest context (edge vs. non-edge) shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores. Using labeled acorns and seed mimics, we tracked dispersal distances, number of dispersals, road crossings, and dispersal directions. Rodents dispersed seeds farther in forest edges and along paved roadsides, predominantly moving them parallel to roads, but rarely across—although crossings were more frequent on unpaved roads. In contrast, carnivores mediated long-distance dispersal, primarily perpendicular to roads, and although seed road crossings were rare, carnivore-dispersed seeds crossed roads—especially unpaved ones—nine times more frequently than rodent-dispersed seeds. Shrub cover increased rodent-mediated dispersal events, heavier acorns traveled farther, and water patches decreased carn..., , # Roads shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw77m

### Description of the data and file structure

Authors: João Craveiro, Miguel N Bugalho, Pedro Gonçalves Vaz

This dataset supports the published article titled \"Roads shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges.\" Detailed information regarding the objectives, study design, and data collection methods can be found in the published manuscript.

#### File Description

The Excel file contains two worksheets:

##### 1. RodentData

This sheet provides the final data used in regression analyses for the rodent-mediated seed dispersal – distance and number of dispersals; as explained in subsection 2.4.1 of the article. The columns are:

site.id: Road-section identifier

station.id: Seed-supply station identifier

acorn.id: Acorn identifier

context: Road-forest context

roadtype: Road type

roadeffect: Road effect category

dispdist.m: Acorn dispersal distance (m)

d...,