From ratites to rats: the size of fleshy fruits shapes species' distributions and continental rainforest assembly

Seed dispersal is a key process in plant spatial dynamics. However, consistently applicable generalisations about dispersal across scales are mostly absent because of the constraints on measuring propagule dispersal distances for many species. Here, we focus on fleshy-fruited taxa, specifically taxa with large fleshy fruits and their dispersers across an entire continental rainforest biome. We compare species-level results of whole-chloroplast DNA analyses in sister taxa with large and small fruits, to regional plot-based samples (310 plots), and whole of continent patterns for the distribution of woody species with either large (>30mm) or smaller fleshy fruits (1093 taxa). The pairwise genomic comparison found higher genetic distances between populations and between regions in the large-fruited species (Endiandra globosa), but higher overall diversity within the small-fruited species (Endiandra discolor). Floristic comparisons among plots confirmed lower numbers of large-fruited spe...

种子扩散是植物空间动态过程中的核心环节。然而，由于多数物种的繁殖体（propagule）扩散距离难以精准测定，目前仍缺乏可跨尺度通用的普适性扩散规律。本研究聚焦肉质果类群，针对覆盖整个大陆尺度雨林生物群系的大型肉质果类群及其种子传播者展开研究。我们将分别结大型、小型肉质果的姐妹类群的全叶绿体DNA（chloroplast DNA）分析的物种级结果，与基于区域样地的采样数据（共310个样地），以及横跨整个大陆的、结大型（＞30mm）或小型肉质果的木本物种分布格局（共1093个类群）进行对比分析。成对基因组比较结果显示：大型果物种（*Endiandra globosa*）的种群间及区域间遗传分化程度更高，而小型果物种（*Endiandra discolor*）的种群内遗传多样性整体更为丰富。样地间区系组成对比证实，大型果物种的数量...