Data from: Effects of zoochory on the spatial genetic structure of plant populations

Spatial genetic structure (SGS) of plants results from the non-random distribution of related individuals. SGS provides information on gene flow and spatial patterns of genetic diversity within populations. Seed dispersal creates the spatial template for plant distribution. Thus, in zoochorous plants, dispersal mode and disperser behavior might have a strong impact on SGS. However, many studies only report the taxonomic group of seed dispersers, without further details. The recent increase in studies on SGS provides the opportunity to review findings and test for the influence of dispersal mode, taxonomic affiliation of dispersers and their behavior. We compared the proportions of studies with SGS among groups and tested for differences in strength of SGS using Sp statistics. Presence of SGS differed among taxonomic groups, with reduced presence in plants dispersed by birds. Strength of SGS was instead significantly influenced by the behavior of seed dispersal vectors, with higher SGS in plant species dispersed by animals with behavior traits that result in short seed dispersal distances. We observed a high variance in SGS of plants dispersed by animals that actively or passively accumulate seeds. Additionally, we found SGS was also affected by pollination and marker type used. Our study highlights the importance of vector behavior on SGS even in the presence of variance created by other factors. Thus, more detailed information on the behavior of seed dispersers would contribute to better understand which factors shape the spatial scale of gene flow in animal-dispersed plant species.植物空间遗传结构（Spatial genetic structure, SGS）源于亲缘个体的非随机分布。该结构能够反映种群内的基因流与遗传多样性空间分布模式。种子扩散为植物分布构建了空间模板，因此对于动物传播植物而言，种子传播方式与传播者行为可能对SGS产生显著影响。但现有多数研究仅提及种子传播者的类群归属，未提供更细致的相关信息。近年来针对SGS的研究数量不断增加，为我们梳理已有研究结果、检验传播方式、传播者类群归属及其行为对SGS的影响提供了契机。本研究对比了不同类群中开展SGS相关研究的占比，并借助Sp统计量检验了SGS强度的组间差异。研究发现，不同植物类群的SGS检出率存在差异，其中鸟类传播植物的SGS检出率相对更低；而SGS强度则显著受种子传播媒介行为的影响：当植物的种子传播者具有导致传播距离较短的行为特征时，对应植物的SGS强度相对更高。本研究还观察到，由主动或被动蓄积种子的动物传播的植物，其SGS存在较高的变异度。此外，本研究发现授粉方式与所用遗传标记类型同样会对SGS产生影响。本研究凸显了传播媒介行为对SGS的重要性，即便其他因素会带来一定的变异。因此，获取更多关于种子传播者行为的细致信息，将有助于我们更深入地理解哪些因素塑造了动物传播植物类群的基因流空间尺度。