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Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC

oai:digital.csic.es:10261/281306

seed_rain_pistacia Data on the magnitude of seed rain in seed traps placed in different microhabitat types and in each of the study periods (early, mid and late) of the 2014–2015 fruiting season of Pistacia lentiscus (FIGURE 2a). viability_seeds_fruits Data on the viability test (‘flotation/sink’ method) conducted on depulped seeds from Pistacia lentiscus ripe (black) fruits (Figure S3 in Supplementary Material). seed_predation_pistacia Data on the seed predation experiment (FIGURE 3b). Each row corresponds to an individual Pistacia lentiscus seed within a seed depot. sowing_experiment_pistacia Data on the sowing experiment of Pistacia lentiscus seeds to assess seed germination (FIGURE 3c) and seedling survival (FIGURE 3d). Each row corresponds to an individual Pistacia lentiscus seed within a sowing station. timing_sde_pistacia Mean values of multiple demographic processes used to calculate the quantity (QT) and (QL) components of seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) for different bird species groups contributing to seed dispersal in different periods and microhabitat types (FIGURE 4). seeds_pistacia_barcoding_viability Data on the Pistacia lentiscus seeds sampled for DNA barcoding analyses, which includes the bird species responsible for dispersal (FIGURE 2b) and the outcome of the viability test (FIGURE 3a)., The seed dispersal effectiveness framework allows assessing mutualistic services from frugivorous animals in terms of quantity and quality. Quantity accounts for the number of seeds dispersed and quality for the probability of recruitment of dispersed seeds. Research on this topic has largely focused on the spatial patterns of seed deposition because seed fates often vary between microhabitats due to differences in biotic and abiotic factors. However, the temporal dimension has remained completely overlooked despite these factors – and even local disperser assemblages – can change dramatically during long fruiting periods. Here, we test timing effects on seed dispersal effectiveness, using as study case a keystone shrub species dispersed by frugivorous birds and with a fruiting period of nine months. We evaluated quantity and quality in different microhabitats of a Mediterranean forest and different periods of the fruiting phenophase. We identified the bird species responsible for seed deposition through DNA barcoding and evaluated the probability of seedling recruitment through a series of field experiments on sequential demographic processes. We found that timing matters: the disperser assemblage was temporally structured, seed viability decreased markedly during the plant’s fruiting phenophase, and germination was lower for viable seeds dispersed in the fruiting peak. We show how small contributions to seed deposition by transient migratory species can result in a relevant effectiveness if they disperse seeds in a high-quality period for seedling recruitment. This study expands our understanding of seed dispersal effectiveness, highlighting the importance of timing and infrequent interactions for population and community dynamics., Peer reviewed