Data for: Using spatial patterns of seeds and saplings to assess the prevalence of heterospecific replacements among cloud forest canopy tree species

Questions: To gain insights into the role of species-by-species replacements in cloud forest community structuring, we asked: (1) What are the effects of the spatial distribution of standing individuals on the seed rain, soil seed bank, and sapling density and survival in this cloud forest? and (2) What is the prevalence of conspecific vs. heterospecific replacements in the regeneration of this forest?

Location: Santo Tomás Teipan, Oaxaca State, southern Mexico.

Methods: In a 1-ha cloud forest plot we assessed seed rain, seed bank, and sapling density and survival of four canopy tree species (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Cornus disciflora, Quercus laurina, Oreopanax xalapensis). All standing individuals of these and other tree species (dbh ≥ 2.5 cm) were mapped. We used neighbourhood models to examine the spatial patterns of the three life cycle stages relative to the spatial distribution of adults. The neighbourhood effect was assessed through the Neighbourhood Index, which in...