Data from: Seed polyphenols in a diverse tropical plant community

1. Polyphenols are one of the most common groups of secondary metabolites in plants and thought to play a key role in enhancing plant fitness by protecting plants against enemies. Although enemy-inflicted mortality at the seed stage can be an important regulator of plant populations and a key determinant of community structure, few studies have assessed community-level patterns of polyphenol content in seeds. 2. We describe the distribution of the main seed polyphenol groups across 196 plant species on Barro Colorado Island (Panama) and community-level patterns in two aspects of their biological activity (protein precipitation and oxidative capacity). Taking advantage of substantial variation in morphological and ecological traits in the studied plant community, we test for correlations and trade-offs between seed polyphenols and non-chemical plant traits hypothesised to make plant species more or less likely to invest in polyphenol production. 3. The majority of species have polyphenols in their seeds. The incidence and concentrations of polyphenols were related to a set of non-chemical plant traits. Polyphenols were most likely to be present (and where present, to be expressed in high concentrations) in species with large seeds, short seed dormancy times, low investment in mechanical seed defences, high wood density, high leaf mass per area, tough leaves, and slow growth rates. 4. Synthesis: Our study reveals a potential trade-off between chemical and mechanical seed defences and shows that plant species that invest in physical defences at later life stages (high wood density and tough leaves) tend not to invest in physical defences of seeds but instead produce secondary metabolites likely to act as seed defences. Overall, our results conform to predictions from the resource availability hypothesis, which states that species in resource-limited environments (such as slow-growing shade-tolerant tree species) will invest more in defences than fast-growing pioneer species.1. 多酚（polyphenols）是植物中最为常见的次生代谢物（secondary metabolites）类群之一，被认为通过抵御天敌以提升植物适合度，发挥核心作用。尽管种子阶段的天敌致死率是调控植物种群动态、决定群落结构的关键因素，但目前鲜有研究针对种子中多酚含量的群落水平分布模式展开探讨。 2. 本研究记录了巴拿马巴罗科罗拉多岛（Barro Colorado Island）上196种植物的主要种子多酚类群分布情况，以及其生物活性（蛋白质沉淀能力与氧化能力）两个维度的群落水平分布模式。本研究利用所研究植物群落中丰富的形态与生态性状变异，检验了种子多酚与非化学植物性状间的相关性及权衡关系——这些被假设的性状会影响植物物种投入多酚合成的概率高低。 3. 绝大多数物种的种子中均含有多酚。多酚的检出率与含量水平与一系列非化学植物性状相关。在大种子、种子休眠期短、种子机械防御投入低、木材密度高、比叶质量高、叶片坚韧且生长速率缓慢的物种中，多酚最易被检出（若存在则通常含量较高）。 4. 综合分析：本研究揭示了种子化学防御与机械防御间潜在的权衡关系，并表明在生命后期阶段投入物理防御（如高木材密度、坚韧叶片）的植物物种，往往不会对种子投入物理防御，而是会合成可作为种子防御的次生代谢物。总体而言，本研究结果符合资源可用性假说（resource availability hypothesis）的预测——该假说提出，资源受限环境中的物种（如生长缓慢的耐阴树种）相较于快速生长的先锋树种，会在防御上投入更多资源。