Data from: Recurrent fruit harvesting reduces seedling density but increases the frequency of clonal reproduction in a tropical tree

Studies on the ecological impacts of non-timber forest products (NTFP)
harvest reveal that plants are often more resilient to fruit and seed
harvest than to bark and root harvest. Several studies indicate that
sustainable fruit harvesting limits can be set very high (>80%
fruit harvesting intensity). For species with clonal and sexual
reproduction, understanding how fruit harvest affects clonal reproduction
can shed light on the genetic risks and sustainability of NTFP harvest. We
studied 18 populations of a gallery forest tree, Pentadesma butyracea
(Clusiaceae), to test the impact of fruits harvest, climate and habitat
size (gallery forest width) on the frequency of sexual or clonal
recruitment in Benin, West Africa. We sampled populations in two
ecological regions (Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean) and in each region, we
selected sites with low, moderate and high fruit harvesting intensities.
These populations were selected in gallery forests with varying width to
sample the natural variation in P. butyracea habitat size. Heavily
harvested populations produced significantly less seedlings but had the
highest density and proportion of clonal offspring. Our study suggests
that for plant species with dual reproductive strategy (via seeds and
clonal), fruit harvesting and associated disturbances that come with it
can lead to an increase in the proportion of clonal offspring. This raises
the issue that excessive fruit harvest by increasing the proportion of
clonal offspring to the detriment of seed originated offspring may lead to
a reduction in genetic diversity with consequence on harvested species
capability to withstand environmental stochasticity.