Data from: Context-dependent forest elephant seed dispersal: Implications for pathways of elephant-driven patterns of biodiversity and carbon storage

Seed dispersal by frugivores facilitates plant reproduction, enhancing
germination and seedling survival by reducing risks like diseases and
predation under parent trees and potentially directing seeds to favorable
sites. Elephants, in particular, are known to strongly impact forests via
their seed dispersal patterns because of their ability to disperse many
very large seeds across long distances. However, knowledge gaps related to
spatio-temporal variability in animal diets, the types and traits of plant
species dispersed, and the effectiveness of seed dispersal limit our
ability to predict the magnitude of impact that seed dispersers have on
plant communities. To better understand how elephant seed dispersal
impacts forests, we present a year-long study of fruit availability,
forest elephant diet, and seed dispersal across three sites in Gabon
showing that: (i) While seeds were prevalent in dung, forest elephants are
consuming fewer seeds than in previous studies (ii) There are significant
between-site differences in the overall species composition of available
fruits and dispersed seeds. (iii) Forest elephants predominately disperse
seeds with high carbon storage potential, and the magnitude of carbon
storage potential in elephant-dispersed seeds varies between sites. (iv)
Forest elephants are effective dispersers of herbs and lianas – growth
forms that are often underrepresented in studies of forest elephant seed
dispersal – at two out of three of our sites. And (v) seedling emergence
and persistence varied significantly across sites. Our results highlight
the fundamental role of fruit availability as a driver of forest elephant
diet and seed dispersal patterns, and the variability of
elephant-dispersed species and functional composition among sites.
Additionally, among-site variability in how elephants affect different
plant growth types, carbon storage potential, and dispersal effectiveness
indicates that predicting the effects of elephants on forest ecosystems
depends on site-specific conditions