Fern communities in lowland tropical forests of Brunei Darussalam, Borneo: diversity, indicator species, and environmental drivers across forest types

Ferns, as a large and biodiverse group, significantly contribute to the vascular plant diversity of the lowland tropical forests of Brunei Darussalam, Borneo. These forests encompass three main types: Mixed Dipterocarp Forest (MDF), Peat Swamp Forest (PSF), and Heath Forest (HF). This study aims to describe and compare fern communities in these three forest types, focusing on species richness, diversity, and the identification of indicator species. Additionally, it investigates the environmental factors that shape these communities. We conducted fieldwork in 48 plots across Brunei's lowland forests. We identified fern species and abundance through a visual census and analyzed environmental parameters, including soil pH, organic matter (OM) content, nutrient availability, and soil texture. The results showed 83 fern species, with MDF having the most (57 species). Peat Swamp and HFs had similar fern species richness (33 and 34 species, respectively). Our environmental analy..., , # Dryad dataset

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.0k6djhbd3](10.5061/dryad.0k6djhbd3)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data were collected as part of a field study on fern communities in lowland tropical forests of Brunei Darussalam, Borneo. The aim of the study was to assess fern species diversity, identify potential indicator species, and investigate how environmental factors and forest types influence community composition. Fieldwork was conducted across 48 plots representing three different forest types, where all fern individuals were recorded, identified, and assigned to life form categories. In each plot, a set of environmental variables was also measured to evaluate species–environment relationships.
### Files and variables

#### **File: 01\_Species\_abundance\_plots.csv**

**Description:**\
This file contains fern species composition and abundance data from 48 forest plots. Each row corresponds to a fern species, while each column represents a plot. Values indica...,