Data from: The demography of a resource specialist in the tropics: Cecropia trees and the fitness of three-toed sloths

Resource specialists persist on a narrow range of resources. Consequently,
the abundance of key resources should drive vital rates, individual
fitness and population viability. While Neotropical forests feature both
high levels of biodiversity and numbers of specialist species, no studies
have directly evaluated how the variation of key resources affects the
fitness of a tropical specialist. Here, we quantified the effect of key
tree species density and forest cover on the fitness of three-toed sloths
(Bradypus variegatus), an arboreal folivore strongly associated with
Cecropia trees, in Costa Rica using a multi-year demographic, genetic and
space use dataset. We found that the density of Cecropia trees was
strongly and positively related to both adult survival and reproductive
output. A matrix model parameterized with Cecropia-demography
relationships suggested positive growth of sloth populations, even at low
densities of Cecropia (0.7 trees/ha). Our study shows the first direct
link between the density of a key resource to demographic consequences of
a tropical specialist, underscoring the sensitivity of tropical
specialists to the loss of a single key resource, but also point to
targeted conservation measures to increase that resource. Finally, our
study reveals that previously disturbed and regenerating environments can
support viable populations of tropical specialists.