Data from: Bushmeat hunting changes regeneration of African rainforests

To assess ecological consequences of bushmeat hunting in African lowland
rainforests, we compared paired sites, with high and low hunting pressure,
in three areas of southeastern Nigeria. In hunted sites, populations of
important seed dispersers—both small and large primates (including the
Cross River gorilla, Gorilla gorilla diehli)—were drastically reduced.
Large rodents were more abundant in hunted sites, even though they are
hunted. Hunted and protected sites had similar mature tree communities
dominated by primate-dispersed species. In protected sites, seedling
communities were similar in composition to the mature trees, but in hunted
sites species with other dispersal modes dominated among seedlings.
Seedlings emerging 1 year after clearing of all vegetation in experimental
plots showed a similar pattern to the standing seedlings. This study thus
verifies the transforming effects of bushmeat hunting on plant communities
of tropical forests and is one of the first studies to do so for the
African continent.