Hydrochory, a key ecological function of a tropical dry forest river threatened by a dam and open-pit coal mining in Colombia

Aims: Freshwater ecosystems have complex spatial and temporal connections that support multiple processes essential for life. Since two of the most critical impacts on riparian ecosystems is the regulation of river flows and water pollution, we aimed to investigate whether a dam and mining activities on the Ranchería River affect hydrochory.
Location: Tropical dry forest of La Guajira, Colombia; a region in need of water.
Methods: We evaluated hydrochory and compared seed richness, abundance and composition with the unaltered Cesar River over two seasons. We sampled both upstream and downstream of the dam and the mining site. At these same sites, we quantified levels of turbidity and 15 chemical compounds that affect water quality.
Results: There was significant spatial heterogeneity of the seed communities sampled along both rivers, with particularly distinct communities collected downstream from the open pit mine. We also found a significant effect of the dam on seed composition and a..., Tropical dry forests are among the most floristically rich ecosystems and have high rates of endemism (Gentry 1982); however, they are also one of the most threatened in the world (Janzen 1988, Portillo-Quintero and Sánchez-Azofeifa 2010, IUCN 2012). It is estimated that about 54% of the area covered by this ecosystem is distributed in South America (Ceccon 2001, Portillo-Quintero and Sánchez-Azofeifa 2010, Blackie et al. 2014). In Colombia, this ecosystem crosses six bioregions that vary widely in climate, soils, and anthropogenic pressures; four of these regions are in a critical state of fragmentation, with an average maximum patch area of only 100 ha (Ariza et al. 2014, Pizano et al. 2017). One of these, the La Guajira region, has a long history of anthropogenic alteration; since colonial times, the establishment of large and intensive crops promoted land use change and the alteration of rivers (Guerra Curvelo and Egurrola Hinojosa 2015). The Ranchería River, one of the most importa..., , # Hydrochory, a key ecological function of a tropical dry forest river threatened by a dam and open-pit coal mining in Colombia

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffbxt](10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffbxt)

## Description of the data and file structure

Hydrochory is a key ecological function of a tropical dry forest river threatened by a dam and open-pit coal mining in Colombia.

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffbxt](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffbxt)

Tropical dry forests are among the most floristically rich ecosystems and have high rates of endemism (Gentry 1982); however, they are also one of the most threatened in the world (Janzen 1988, Portillo-Quintero and Sánchez-Azofeifa 2010, IUCN 2012). It is estimated that about 54% of the area covered by this ecosystem is distributed in South America (Ceccon 2001, Portillo-Quintero and Sánchez-Azofeifa 2010, Blackie et al. 2014). In Colombia, this ecosystem crosses six bioregions that vary widely in climate, soils, and anthropogenic pressure...,