Data files and R scripts from: Associations of dispersal traits with fecundity and clonal expansion among Japanese ant-dispersed sedges

Dispersal syndrome, a covariation of dispersal traits with other traits,
is an important aspect of any organism because it provides clues for
potential selection pressures or constraints imposed by other traits. In
plants, fecundity and clonal expansion are the two least empirically
explored reproductive traits in terms of their association with dispersal
traits, despite theoretical predictions for their existence. This study
examined the associations of two dispersal traits (elaiosome size,
autochorous distance) with two reproductive traits (fecundity, clonal
expansion) among 40 sedge species (Carex spp.) that disperse seeds through
autochory through postfloral stalk bending and growth, followed by
myrmecochory. Of the two dispersal traits, larger elaiosomes are known to
result in longer dispersal distances through attraction of large ants,
while longer autochorous distances are expected to reduce local seed
clumping by facilitating an independent discovery of sibling seeds by ant
workers from multiple nests. Through the comparative analyses, I found the
negative associations of elaiosome size with both reproductive traits. The
result is consistent with either the functional redundancy of the traits
in risk spreading or the fecundity cost of producing larger elaiosomes.
After verifying the use of stalk length as a surrogate for autochorous
distance, I found the positive association of stalk length with fecundity
largely driven from the contrast between four species with extremely short
stalks and rest of species with normal stalks. These results are among the
first to show an existence of dispersal syndromes among myrmecochorous
plants involving dispersal and reproductive traits.