Data from: Fishing-down within populations harms seed dispersal mutualism

Large fish often are the most effective seed dispersers, but also
the preferred target for fisheries. Recently, we started to comprehend the
detrimental impacts of the extirpation of large frugivorous fish species
for forest natural regeneration, but we lack a general understanding of how
size-selective overharvesting within species can affect the fish-fruit
mutualism. Our literature review demonstrated that large individuals within
populations positively affect diverse aspects of seed dispersal, ranging
from consuming a higher diversity of seeds to enhancing germination.
Furthermore, we filled a gap in this knowledge by studying how individual
size variations within two small frugivorous fish species (<16 cm) affect
seed dispersal in flooded savannas. We observed that even within
small-bodied species, large individuals swallow a higher number of intact
seeds, but not necessarily a higher proportion. Overall, our results
demonstrate the disproportional role of large-bodied individuals as key
seed dispersers in flooded habitats. As a consequence, fishing-down
within-populations, both in large- and small-bodied species, can negatively
impact the seed dispersal mutualism and natural regeneration at overfished