Seed size, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion patterns for native and introduced grassland plants

Most terrestrial plants disperse by seeds, yet the relationship between
seed mass, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion is poorly
understood.  We quantified seed traits for 48 species of native
and introduced plants from grasslands of western Montana, USA, to
investigate the relationships between seed traits and plant dispersion
patterns.  Additionally, because the linkage between dispersal
traits and dispersion patterns might be stronger for actively dispersing
species, we compared these patterns between native and introduced plants.
Finally, we evaluated the efficacy of a global trait database, the TRY
plant traits database, versus locally collected data for examining these
questions. This archive contains species-level data used in analyses,
including species metadata (origin, growth form), mean values of measured
seed traits (size metrics and type of dispersal structures), two metrics
of dispersion (local and broad scales, respectively) derived from
grassland surveys in the study region, and information on the seed mass
accessed from the TRY traits database. Note that the latter seed mass data
could not be included in the archive, but can be acquired directly from
the TRY plant traits database (https://www.try-db.org/TryWeb/Home.php).