Data from: A synthesis of animal-mediated seed dispersal of palms reveals distinct biogeographic differences in species interactions

Aim: To synthesize published knowledge on palm-frugivore seed dispersal
observations and to test whether broad-scale differences in geographic
coverage, diversity, composition and functional structure of plant-animal
interactions emerge between biogeographic regions. Location: Neotropics
and Afrotropics. Methods: We constructed a meta-network for both regions
by aggregating observations of pairwise palm-frugivore interactions from
the primary literature. We assessed sampling completeness with
accumulation curves and estimated knowledge gaps for individual palm
species and geographic units within biogeographic regions. We compared the
taxonomic composition as well as structural indices of regional
interaction networks and tested whether functional trait matching (i.e.
the relationship between palm fruit size and frugivore body size) differs
between regions. Results: A total of 750 unique pairwise interaction
records were retrieved from the primary literature covering 340 frugivores
and 126 palms. Sampling completeness of frugivore interactions within
biogeographic regions and for individual palm species was low (often
<50%), geographic coverage limited, and relative knowledge gaps
were largest in areas with high palm species richness. Interaction
diversity and network modularity was larger in the Neotropics than the
Afrotropics. A positive fruit size-body mass relationship (i.e. functional
trait matching) was statistically significant in the Afrotropics, but not
in the Neotropics. Main conclusions: Available data on palm-frugivore
interactions suggest major biogeographic differences in ecological
networks among regions, even when taking differences in palm species
richness into account. The Neotropics showed a larger interaction
diversity and more modular network structure than the Afrotropics.
Broad-scale morphological trait matching among plants and frugivores was
only observed in the Afrotropics. The lack of a Neotropical trait matching
relationship might be driven by the late Quaternary extinctions of
mammalian megafauna in this region. Although our work has increased the
digital availability of palm-frugivore interaction observations, massive
knowledge gaps of interaction diversity remain in the tropics.