Data from: Pollen flow in fragmented landscapes maintains genetic diversity following stand-replacing disturbance in a neotropical pioneer tree, Vochysia ferruginea Mart.

In forests with gap disturbance regimes, pioneer tree regeneration is
typically abundant following stand-replacing disturbances, whether natural
or anthropogenic. Differences in pioneer tree density linked to
disturbance regime can influence pollinator behaviour and impact on mating
patterns and genetic diversity of pioneer populations. Such mating pattern
shifts can manifest as higher selfing rates and lower pollen diversity in
old growth forest populations. In secondary forest, where more closely
related pollen donors occur, an increase in biparental inbreeding is a
potential problem. Here, we investigate the consequences of secondary
forest colonisation on the mating patterns and genetic diversity of
open-pollinated progeny arrays for the long-lived, self-compatible pioneer
tree, Vochysia ferruginea, at two Costa Rican sites. Five microsatellite
loci were screened across adult and seed cohorts from old growth forest
with lower density, secondary forest with higher density, and isolated
individual trees in pasture. Progeny from both old growth and secondary
forest contexts were predominantly outcrossed (tm=1.00) and experienced
low levels of biparental inbreeding (tm−ts=0.00–0.04). In contrast to
predictions, our results indicated that the mating patterns of V.
ferruginea are relatively robust to density differences between old growth
and secondary forest stands. In addition, we observed that pollen-mediated
gene flow possibly maintained the genetic diversity of open-pollinated
progeny arrays in stands of secondary forest adults. As part of a natural
resource management strategy, we suggest that primary forest remnants
should be prioritised for conservation to promote restoration of genetic
diversity during forest regeneration.