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.植物的空间遗传结构（Spatial genetic structure, SGS）源于亲缘个体的非随机分布。SGS可提供种群内基因流与遗传多样性空间格局的相关信息。种子传播为植物分布构建了空间模板，因此在动物传播植物中，传播模式与传播者行为可能对SGS产生强烈影响。然而，现有诸多研究仅报道了种子传播者的分类类群，未提供更多细节信息。 近年来有关SGS的研究日益增多，为我们梳理相关研究成果、检验传播模式、传播者分类归属及其行为对SGS的影响提供了契机。本研究对比了不同类群中开展SGS研究的占比，并通过Sp统计量检验了SGS强度的组间差异。研究发现，SGS的存在与否在不同分类类群间存在显著差异，经鸟类传播的植物其SGS检出率相对更低。而SGS强度则显著受种子传播媒介的行为特征影响：当植物由具有短距离种子传播行为特征的动物传播时，其SGS强度相对更高。 我们还观察到，由主动或被动富集种子的动物传播的植物，其SGS存在较高的变异度。此外，本研究发现传粉方式与所用分子标记类型同样会对SGS产生影响。 本研究强调了传播媒介行为对SGS的重要性，即便存在其他因素带来的变异。因此，获取更多关于种子传播者行为的详细信息，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。