Data from: The role of frugivory in plant diversity maintenance- a simulation approach

Frugivores may play a key role in plant species coexistence by equalizing
the species’ representation in the seed rain. Rare species may benefit
from enhanced dispersal if frugivores prefer locally scarce fruits, or if
rare plants are found in neighborhoods of high fruit density. Using a
simulation model of frugivorous birds foraging on landscapes we tested if
increased diversity in the seed rain could emerge from rare-biased fruit
selection, from the spatial configuration of plants, or both. In the
absence of rare-biased fruit selection, frugivores were not able to
increase the diversity of the seed rain in any of our simulated
landscapes. In contrast, when frugivores were attracted to locally scarce
fruits, we found increased diversity in the seed rain whenever frugivore
mobility across the landscape was high and plant species were well-mixed
in the fruiting neighborhoods. Irrespectively of the behavioral mechanism
involved, landscape fragmentation lead to losses in diversity and species
richness of simulated communities. In all simulations, density-dependent
mortality of dispersed seeds increased diversity in the community of
seedlings. However, landscape homogenization at the scale of frugivores
movements decreased the magnitude of this diversification effect. In
summary, our study shows that frugivory has the potential to increase
diversity in the seed rain when frugivores display rare-biased fruit
choices, provided that rare and common plants form heterogeneous
neighborhoods. They also show that fragmentation is a major threat for
diversity maintenance in the early-regenerating community. Finally, they
show that rarity confers advantages during regeneration only if it occurs
at the scale of frugivores’ foraging decisions.