Rock n’ Seeds: a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation

The present dataset includes information for 16 seed traits from 383 taxa in 148 genera, 50 families and 25 orders from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation. Data was collected in several study sites across Brazil, including locations from all six Brazilian biomes, namely Atlantic Forest, Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa and Pantanal. The most represented families in the database are Melastomataceae (67 taxa), Fabaceae (38) and Velloziaceae (36), with ~37% of all reported species. The 16 seed traits include two dispersal, six production, four morphological, two biophysical and two germination traits. The traits with the highest number of records are the presence/absence of primary dormancy (499 records), dispersal syndrome (497) and dormancy class (353). Additionally, Rock n' Seeds compiles the primary data of 48 germination experiments for a total of 10,187 records. Experiments available in this database include tests that assessed the effect of different dormancy-breaking treatments (e.g., scarification and hormone application) and germination responses to various abiotic (e.g., temperature, photoperiod, and fire-related cues) and biotic (e.g., intraspecific variability, gut passage, and reproductive systems) factors.