Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
330
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
330 results for “seed plant”
Data from: Tracking temperate fish reveals their relevance for plant seed dispersal
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Are fragments fruitful? A comparison of plant–seed disperser communities between fragments and contiguous forest in north-east India
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Legacy effects of seed dispersal mechanisms shape the spatial interaction network of plant species in Mediterranean forests
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Tempo-spatial evolution of seed plant endemism in Taiwan island
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Changes in the structure of seed dispersal networks when including interaction outcomes from both plant and animal perspectives
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Plant species percent cover data: Seed Size and Establishment
The purpose of this experiment is to examine the importance among species differences in seed mass in determining the possibility of seedling establishment under different competitive environments. This experiment was set up in Field 61.
Maximum plant height along transects: Seed Size and Establishment
The purpose of this experiment is to examine the importance among species differences in seed mass in determining the possibility of seedling establishment under different competitive environments. This experiment was set up in Field 61.
Plant species percent cover data: The Effect of Seed Addition on Biodiversity in an Oak Savanna
This experiment was established in an unfenced area of field D in the spring of 1991. There are 10 replicates of each of 5 treatments, making a total of 50 plots. Each plot is 1.5m x 1.5m with 1.0m aisles between the plots. The 50 plots were randomly assigned their treatments. Seeds were added to the plots in June of 1991 according to the following treatments: A. Complete Control B. Raked Control C. Forb Seed Added D. Grass Seed Added E. Forb and Grass Seed Added The number of grass and forb seedlings, in the center square meter, were counted in late July and late August of 1991. Percent cover estimates were done, also in the center square meter, of the established plants alone in late July and then, of the established plants and the seedlings together, in late August. Percent cover estimates will continue to be done on an annual basis. For a list of treatments, see the treatment layouts in file trmte91.
Data from: Litter addition decreases plant diversity by suppressing seeding in a semi-arid grassland, Northern China
Plant community diversity is conducive to maintain the regional ecosystems stability and ecosystem services. Seed germination is one of the main ways to regulate plant diversity, owing to seedling recruitment as a basis for plant community renewal. However, the exact mechanism of how plant litter affects seedling recruitment and species richness is not yet fully understood. Therefore, a litter addition and removal experiment were established in a semiarid grassland to study the effects of plant litter on seedling recruitment and species richness from April to August in 2016 and 2017 in Northern China. The positive correlation between species richness and seedling recruitment indicated that a guarantee of seedling recruitment was the main precondition to protect species richness. Adding rather than removing litter significantly reduced species richness. Litter addition inhibited species richness by directly increasing mechanical damage or indirectly reducing photosynthetically active radiation and seedling recruitment. The results of this study are conducive to understand the evolutionary and regulatory mechanisms of community species richness and seedling recruitment in grassland ecosystems after adding or removing plant litter.
Impacts of rodent eradication on seed predation and plant community biomass on a tropical atoll
<p>Invasive rodent eradications are frequently undertaken to curb island biodiversity loss. However, the breadth of rodents' ecological impact, even after eradication, is not always fully recognized. For example, the most widespread invasive rodent, the black rat (<i>Rattus rattus</i>),<i> </i>while omnivorous,<i> </i>eats predominantly seeds and fruit. Yet, the effects of seed predation release after eradication on plant communities and ecological functions are not well understood, posing a gap for island restoration. We examined the role of seed predation release following black rat eradication in changes to tree composition and above-ground biomass across an islet network (Palmyra Atoll) in the Central Pacific. We conducted repeated surveys of seed, juvenile, and adult tree biomass and survival in permanent vegetation plots before and after the eradication of rats. We observed a 95% reduction in seed predation for an introduced, previously cultivated tree population (<i>Cocos nucifera</i>). Juvenile tree biomass of all species increased 14-fold, with <i>C. nucifera </i>increasing the most, suggesting that eradication increased this tree's competitive advantage. Indeed, based on stage-structured demographic models, rat eradication led to a 10% increase in <i>C. nucifera </i>population growth rate. The effect of invasive rodent seed predation varies considerably among the plant species in a community and can shift competitive dynamics, sometimes in favor of invasive plants. These bottom-up effects should be considered in evaluating the costs and benefits of eradication. Documenting the variation in invasive rodent diet items, along with long-term surveys, can help prioritize island eradications where restoration is most likely to be successful. </p>
Data from: Changes in seed predation along a 2300-m elevational gradient on a tropical mountain in Myanmar: a standardized test with 32 non-native plant species
<p>It has been hypothesized that biotic interactions are stronger towards lower latitudes and elevations. However, results vary among interaction systems and experimental protocols. Our goal was to examine the validity of this prediction by using a standardized method to investigate seed–animal interaction. We assessed removal by animals for 40960 seeds belonging to 32 non-native tree species along an elevation gradient from 600 m to 2910 m on Mount Victoria (Nat Ma Taung), western Myanmar. We analyzed the elevational trends of seed removal at both individual seed level (probability of depot encounter, proportion of seeds removed after encounter and total proportion of seeds removed) and community level (Shannon diversity and species evenness indices). The dry and wet seasons had opposite relationships between seed removal and elevation,<br> i.e. hump-shaped in the dry season and U-shaped in the wet season. Individual plant species displayed almost all possible patterns: U-shaped and hump-shaped, monotonic decrease and increase, and elevation-independent patterns. As a consequence of the hump-shaped seed removal pattern with elevation in the dry season, the diversity and evenness of surviving seeds showed U-shaped patterns. Our study shows that elevational trends in seed–animal interactions do not follow a constant rule, but differ between seasons and among species, suggesting that a one-off survey with few species might give misleading information on overall macroecological patterns. Future studies of trends in biotic interactions along gradients should bear this in mind.</p>
Data from: Early plant development depends on embryo damage location: the role of seed size in partial seed predation
<p>Data on 1) Observed weevil-infested acorns in the field; 2) Germination rates and times, and seedling emergence of control and embryo-damaged acorns; 3) Seedling performance and physiology of seedlings</p>
Data from: Asynchrony between ant seed dispersal activity and fruit dehiscence of myrmecochorous plants
Phenological mismatch has received attention in plant-pollinator interactions, but less so in seed dispersal mutualisms. We investigated whether the seasonal availability of myrmecochorous seeds is well matched to the seasonal activity patterns of seed-dispersing ants. Methods We compared seasonal timing of seed removal by a keystone seed-dispersing ant, Aphaenogaster rudis, and fruit dehiscence of several species of plants whose seeds it disperses in a deciduous forest in southern Ontario, Canada. We examined the timing of elaiosome 'robbing' by the non-native slug, Arion subfuscus, and tested whether seed removal by ants declines in response to supplementation with additional elaiosome-bearing seeds (ant "satiation"). Key Results Seed removal from experimental depots peaked early in the season for all plant species, and that seed removal correlated with temperature. In contrast, elaiosome robbing by slugs increased late in the season and thus may disproportionately affect plants with late-dehiscing fruits. Ant colonies removed seeds at similar rates regardless of seed supplementation, indicating that satiation likely does not impact seasonal patterns of seed dispersal in this system. Fruits of the five myrmecochorous plant species in our study dehisced at discrete intervals throughout the season, with minimal overlap among species. Peak dehiscence did not overlap with peak seed removal for any plant species. Conclusions Fruit dehiscence of myrmecochorous plants and peak ant seed dispersal activity occur asynchronously. Whether future climate warming will shift ant and plant phenologies in ways that have consequences for seed dispersal remains an open question. In compliance with data protection regulations, please contact the publication office if you would like to have your personal information removed from the database.
Data from: Plant-driven changes in soil microbial communities influence seed germination through negative feedbacks
1. Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) drive plant community diversity via interactions between plants and soil microbes. However, we know little about how frequently PSFs affect plants at the seed stage, and the compositional shifts in fungi that accompany PSFs on germination. 2. We conducted a pairwise PSF experiment to test whether seed germination was differentially impacted by conspecific versus heterospecific soils for seven grassland species. We used metagenomics to characterize shifts in fungal community composition in soils conditioned by each plant species. To investigate whether changes in the abundance of certain fungal taxa were associated with multiple PSFs, we assigned taxonomy to soil fungi and identified putative pathogens that were significantly more abundant in soils conditioned by plant species that experienced negative or positive PSFs. 3. We observed negative, positive, and neutral PSFs on seed germination. Although conspecific and heterospecific soils for pairs with significant PSFs contained host-specialized soil fungal communities, soils with specialized microbial communities did not always lead to PSFs. The identity of host-specialized pathogens, i.e. taxa uniquely present or significantly more abundant in soils conditioned by plant species experiencing negative PSFs, overlapped among plant species, while putative pathogens within a single host plant species differed depending on the identity of the heterospecific plant partner. Finally, the magnitude of feedback effects on germination were not related to the degree of fungal community differentiation between species pairs involved in negative PSFs. 4. Synthesis. Our findings reveal the potential importance of PSFs at the seed stage. Although plant species developed host-specialized fungal communities in rhizosphere soil, pathogens were not strictly host-specific, and varied not just between plant species, but according to the identity of plant partner. These results illustrate the complexity of microbe-mediated interactions between plants at different life stages that next-generation sequencing can begin to unravel.
Data from: Does origin always matter? Evaluating the influence of nonlocal seed provenances for ecological restoration purposes in a widespread and outcrossing plant species
For restoration purposes, nature conservation generally enforces the use of local seed material based on the "local-is-best" (LIB) approach. However, in some cases recommendations to refrain from this approach have been made. Here we test if a common widespread species with no obvious signs of local adaptation may be a candidate species for abandoning LIB during restoration. Using 10 microsatellite markers we compared population genetic patterns of the generalist species Daucus carota in indigenous and formerly restored sites (nonlocal seed provenances). Gene diversity overall ranged between He = 0.67 and 0.86 and showed no significant differences between the two groups. Hierarchical AMOVA and principal component analysis revealed very high genetic population admixture and negligible differentiation between indigenous and restored sites (FCT = 0.002). Moreover, differentiation between groups was caused by only one outlier population, where inbreeding effects are presumed. We therefore conclude that the introduction of nonlocal seed provenances in the course of landscape restoration did not jeopardize regional species persistence by contributing to inbreeding or outbreeding depressions, or any measurable adverse population genetic effect. On the basis of these results, we see no obvious objections to the current practice to use the 10-fold cheaper, nonlocal seed material of D. carota for restoration projects.
Data from: Seed predation has the potential to drive a rare plant to extinction
1. Pre-dispersal seed predation is sometimes considered unlikely to dramatically affect plant population growth because plants are generally expected to produce more seeds than there are safe sites for germination. Lupinus constancei is a rare herb of limited distribution, with fewer than 400 reproductive individuals restricted to a single square kilometre of north-western California, USA. In addition to the vulnerability resulting from its extremely small population size, L. constancei faces heavy seed predation by small mammals. 2. As a stop-gap measure to prevent population decline, managers began covering a large number of the reproductive plants with herbivory exclosures in 2003, but the population-level effects of seed predation and the effectiveness of this caging treatment were unknown. We used ten years of demographic data to compare the population dynamics of plants inside herbivory exclosures with those sustaining ambient rodent seed predation. 3. We found that the stochastic population growth rate would be robust without seed predation (λs = 1.17), but without continued human intervention (i.e. use of exclosures), the current rate of predation would result in a decline towards extinction (λs = 0.92). 4. After our study concluded, high mortality due to two extreme winter droughts followed by a wildland fire reduced the number of reproductive plants to ~103, making extinction of L. constancei more likely. 5. Synthesis and applications. The prevalence of consumer-driven population decline is largely unknown, but this study demonstrates that pre-dispersal seed predation by rodents can have powerful population-level effects, and represents one set of conditions under which consumer pressure has the potential to drive plant extinction. However, with continued management to limit the effects of seed predation in the short-term and investigation into the ultimate drivers of this high seed predation rate in the long-term, the Lassics lupine population could be restored to a robust rate of growth.
Data from: Angiosperm fleshy fruits and seed dispersers: a comparative analysis of adaptation and constraints in plant-animal interactions
Variation in phenotypic traits of angiosperm fleshy fruits has been explained as the result of adaptations to their mutualistic seed dispersers. By analyzing the information available on fleshy fruit characteristics of 910 angiosperm species, I assess the hypothesis of evolutionary association between fruit phenotypic traits and type of seed disperser (birds, mammals, and mixed dispersers) and address explicitly and quantitatively alternative null hypotheses about phylogenetic effects. Phylogenetic affinity among plant taxa is accounted for by comparative methods including nested ANOVA, phylogenetic autocorrelation, and independent contrasts. Averaging over the 16 fruit traits examined, phylogenetic effects down to genus level explain 61% of total variance. Phylogenetic autocorrelations are strong among close relatives, reaching significance for 11 of the 16 fruit traits examined. When assessed by independent contrast methods, correlated evolution between type of disperser and fruit traits is confined to fruit diameter. Differences among dispersal syndromes in other traits vanish after accounting for phylogenetic effects. These analyses reveal that seed dispersal syndromes are not entirely interpretable as current adaptations to seed dispersers. Their status as exaptations can be assessed by combining experimental studies of natural selection on fruit size and rigorous comparative and cladistic tests of adaptational hypotheses.
Data from: Genetic factors affecting food-plant specialization of an oligophagous seed predator
Several ecological and genetic factors affect the diet specialization of insect herbivores. The evolution of specialization may be constrained by lack of genetic variation in herbivore performance on different food plant species. By traditional view, trade-offs, i.e., negative genetic correlations between the performance of the herbivores on different food-plant species favour the evolution of specialization. To investigate whether there is genetic variation or trade-offs in herbivore performance between different food plants that may influence specialization of the oligophagous seed-eating herbivore, Lygaeus equestris (Heteroptera), we conducted a feeding trial in laboratory using four food-plant species. Although L. equestris is specialized on Vincetoxicum hirundinaria (Apocynaceae) to some degree, it occasionally feeds on alternative food-plant species. We did not find significant negative genetic correlations between mortality, developmental time, and adult biomass of L. equestris on the different food-plant species. We found genetic variation in mortality and developmental time of L. equestris on some of the food plants, but not in adult biomass. Our results suggest that trade-offs do not affect adaptation and specialization of L. equestris to current and novel food-plant species, but the lack of genetic variation may restrict food-plant utilization. Since food-plant specialization of herbivores may have wide-ranging effects for instance on coevolving plant-herbivore interactions and speciation, it is essential to thoroughly understand the factors behind the specialization process. Our findings provide valuable information about the role of genetic factors in food-plant specialization of this oligophagous herbivore.
How does timing of flowering affect competition for pollinators, flower visitation and seed set in an early spring grassland plant?
<p><span>Knowledge on how the timing of flowering is related to plant fitness and species interactions is crucial </span><span>to understand consequences of phenological shifts as they occur under climate change. Early flowering </span><span>plants may face advantages of low competition for pollinators and disadvantages of low pollinator </span><span>abundances and unfavourable weather conditions. However, it is unknown how this trade-off changes </span><span>over the season and how the timing affects reproductive success. On eight grasslands we recorded </span><span>intra-seasonal changes in pollinators, co-flowering plants, weather conditions, flower visitation </span><span>rates, floral longevity and seed set of </span><span>Pulsatilla vulgaris</span><span>. Although bee abundances and the number of </span><span>pollinator-suitable hours were low at the beginning of the season, early flowers of </span><span>P. vulgaris</span><span> received </span><span>higher flower visitation rates and estimated total number of bee visits than later flowers, which was </span><span>positively related to seed set. Flower visitation rates decreased over time and with increasing number of </span><span>co-flowering plants, which competed with </span><span>P. vulgaris</span><span> for pollinators. Low interspecific competition for </span><span>pollinators seems to be a major driver for early flowering dates. Thus, non-synchronous temporal shifts </span><span>of co-flowering plants as they may occur under climate warming can be expected to strongly affect </span><span>plant-pollinator interactions and the fitness of the involved plants.</span></p>
Data from: Aging in an herbaceous plant: increases in mortality and decreases in physiology and seed mass
1. Little is known about plant age-dependent trait expression and how environmental conditions might affect aging in the wild. This study evaluates age variation in multiple traits of a short-lived perennial herb using a manipulative field experimental design. 2. Two different-aged cohorts were followed in a field plot for over a year to evaluate trait expression in response to a competition treatment and seasonal stress. Traits measured included size, mortality, reproduction, and physiology, including photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content (SPAD). We hypothesized that the stress of competition and seasonal changes would accentuate age-dependent trait declines in older plants. 3. The results highlight consistent age differences in plant size, mortality, and seed size with older plants being smaller, more likely to die, and producing smaller seeds. Some of the aging declines were sensitive to environmental conditions such that it was only during certain seasons when older plants had higher mortality, lower photosynthetic efficiency, and lower chlorophyll content than young plants. Age-dependent trait expression also varied in response to competition such that age differences in size were only present in the 'no competition treatment,' and old individuals in the competition treatment had a higher mortality than all other age-environment combinations. 4. Synthesis. These findings show that aging in plants is a complex phenotype where declines in traits are uncoordinated and can be, but are not always, sensitive to environmental conditions. This study shows age-dependent maternal effects on offspring quality which, together with the decline in performance of older individuals, may have impacts on an individual's fitness and on natural population demography.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.