Insect seed-predator networks respond positively to restoration on a tropical island

When non-native species invade ecosystems, coevolved plant-animal interactions and associated ecological functions are altered, often to the detriment of local biodiversity. While mutualistic interactions can benefit from —and assist with— ecological restoration through the removal of non-native species, community-level changes in antagonistic interactions due to restoration are less well understood. Insect seed predators provide important ecosystem functions, but can also have antagonistic effects through pre-dispersal seed predation which can cause fruit abortion or premature fruit drop, potentially affecting plant community composition.
Here, we used a network approach and data on trophic interactions from a large-scale field experiment to investigate the differences in insect seed predator communities between native restored sites (where non-native plants were removed) and unrestored sites dominated by non-native plants on the island of Mahé, Seychelles.
Restored sites contained mor..., The study was carried out on eight inselbergs (steep-sided granitic rock outcrops) of ca. 1 ha on Mahé, the largest granitic island of the Seychelles archipelago, Indian Ocean (- 4.6953°, 55.4999°, 154 km2, 900 m a.s.l.). To restore inselberg communities, all non-native woody plants were removed from four of the inselbergs between 2011 and 2012 by cutting individual plants and applying herbicide to cut stumps (Kaiser-Bunbury et al., 2015), with follow-up control thereafter. The other four inselbergs remained unchanged with both native and non-native species (Kaiser-Bunbury et al., 2017).
To estimate fruit availability at each site, we recorded monthly fruit abundance by counting all ripe fruits of woody fleshy-fruited plant species that are mainly dispersed by endozoochory along fixed linear transects.
To collect seed predators, we sampled fleshy fruits monthly at the eight study sites over one year (Sep. 2018 to Aug. 2019). Samples of ten fruits were collected opportunistically from al..., , # Insect seed-predator networks respond positively to restoration on a tropical island

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ht76hdrr4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ht76hdrr4)

## Description of the data and file structure

**README**

**Title:** Insect seed-predator networks respond positively to restoration on a tropical island

**Authors:** Alba Costa, Ruben Heleno, Yanick Dufrene, Eleanor Huckle, Sara Beatriz Mendes, Andrew E. Whittington, Frank J.F. van Veen, Christopher N. Kaiser-Bunbury

**Journal:** Journal of Applied Ecology

**Contact Author:** Alba Costa; Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]); [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

**DATASETS**

fruit_abundance.csv

Data on fruit abundance of ripe fleshy-fruited plant species collected monthly along linear transects for 12 consecutive months, from September 2018 to August 2019, on the island of Mahé, Seychelles.

Variables:

·       **date:** date of record

·       **julian & z_julian: **julian day and sc...