Trait-based species selection for restoration: A case study from tropical landscapes dominated by bracken

Deforestation leads to non-forested areas that often need active ecological restoration to promote forest succession. Here, we developed a trait-based approach to guide the design of restoration projects and tested our approach in tropical areas deforested by fires and dominated by bracken. Deforestation caused by human-induced fires creates complex conservation problems in tropical areas. After fire, montane tropical deforested areas are often dominated by bracken fern (Pteridium spp.), which prevents the establishment of many species of trees. This means that effective ecological restoration strategies are needed for forest recovery. We explored whether a trait-based approach could be used to guide the selection of tree species in active restoration projects in deforested areas. We first tested whether traits could be used to predict which species can overcome bracken-associated filters. We then tested the relationship between the trait-based predictions for each species and their abu..., , # Data from: Trait-based species selection for restoration: A case study from tropical landscapes dominated by bracken Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.8931zcs4q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8931zcs4q) ## Description of the data and file structure The dataset contains all data required to replicate analyses in Gallegos et al. 2025. We established a seed addition experiment at eight sites in the vicinity of Chulumani village, Sud Yungas province, La Paz, Bolivia. The experiment was established in burned areas from the tropical montane forest dominated by the bracken fern *Pteridium esculentum,* at 100 m from the forest edge. In each site, we planted 23 tree species in different quantities according to their seed size. Seeds were collected from at least ten individuals per species. We monitored seedling establishment, survival, and growth after 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. We measured the following functional traits in five adult individuals of each species: maximum tree height (HM, in m), l...,森林砍伐会形成非森林区域，此类区域通常需要开展主动生态修复以促进森林群落演替。本研究开发了一种基于功能性状的方法以指导修复项目设计，并在因火灾导致森林砍伐、且以蕨属植物（Pteridium spp.）为主的热带区域对该方法进行了测试。人为火灾引发的森林砍伐在热带区域造成了复杂的保护难题。火灾过后，山地热带砍伐区域往往被欧洲蕨（Pteridium spp.）占据，该物种会抑制众多树木物种的定植。这表明森林恢复亟需有效的生态修复策略。本研究探讨了基于功能性状的方法能否用于指导砍伐区域主动修复项目中的树种筛选。我们首先验证了功能性状是否可用于预测哪些物种能够克服与欧洲蕨相关的环境过滤效应。随后我们检验了各物种基于功能性状的预测结果与其abu..., , # 数据来源：基于功能性状的树种筛选——以蕨属植物主导的热带景观为例 数据集DOI：[10.5061/dryad.8931zcs4q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8931zcs4q) 数据与文件结构说明 本数据集包含复现Gallegos等人2025年研究中所有分析所需的全部数据。我们在玻利维亚拉巴斯省南永加斯省楚卢马尼村周边的8个样地开展了种子添加实验。实验设置在距离森林边缘100米处、以食用蕨（*Pteridium esculentum*）为主的热带山地森林火烧区域内。在每个样地中，我们根据种子大小以不同播种量种植了23个树种。种子均采自每个物种的至少10个个体。我们分别在6、12、24和36个月后监测幼苗定植、存活及生长情况。我们对每个物种的5个成年个体测定了以下功能性状：最大树高（HM，单位：米），l...,