Rock n' Seeds: A database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation
Authors: Ordóñez‐Parra Carlos A. , Dayrell Roberta L. C. , Negreiros Daniel , Andrade Antônio C. S. , Andrade Letícia G. , Antonini Yasmine , Barreto Leilane C. , Barros Fernanda de V. , Carvalho Vanessa da Cruz , Corredor Blanca Auxiliadora Dugarte , Davide Antônio Cláudio , Duarte Alexandre A. , Feitosa Selma Dos Santos , Fernandes Alessandra F. , Fernandes G. Wilson , Figueiredo Maurílio Assis , Fidelis Alessandra , Garcia Letícia Couto , Garcia Queila Souza , Giorni Victor T. , Gomes Vanessa G. N. , Gonçalves‐Magalhães Carollayne , Kozovits Alessandra R. , Lemos‐Filho José P. , Le Stradic Soizig , Machado Isabel Cristina , Maia Fabiano Rodrigo , Marques Andréa R. , Mendes‐Rodrigues Clesnan , Messias Maria Cristina T. B. , Morellato Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira , de Moraes Moemy Gomes , Moreira Bruno , Nunes Flávia Peres , Oliveira Ademir K. M. , Oki Yumi , Rodrigues Alba R. P. , Pietczak Carolina , Pina José Carlos , Ramos Silvio Junio , Ranal Marli A. , Ribeiro‐Oliveira João Paulo , Rodrigues Flávio H. , Santana Denise G. , Santos Fernando M. G. , Senhuk Ana Paula M. S. , Silveira Rodrigo A. , Soares Natalia Costa , Tonetti Olívia Alvina Oliveira , Vieira Vinícius Augusto da Silveira , Viana Letícia Cristiane de Sena , Zanetti Marcílio , Zirondi Heloiza L. , Silveira Fernando A. O. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAdvancing functional ecology depends fundamentally on the availability of data on reproductive traits, including those from tropical plants, which have been historically underrepresented in global trait databases. Although some valuable databases have been created recently, they are mainly restricted to temperate areas and vegetative traits such as leaf and wood traits. Here, we present Rock n' Seeds, a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation, recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism. Data were compiled through a systematic literature search, resulting in 103 publications from which seed functional traits were extracted. The database includes information on 16 functional traits for 383 taxa from 148 genera, 50 families, and 25 orders. These 16 traits include two dispersal, six production, four morphological, two biophysical, and two germination traits—the major axes of the seed ecological spectrum. The database also provides raw data for 48 germination experiments, for a total of 10,187 records for 281 taxa. Germination experiments in the database assessed the effect of a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors on germination and different dormancy‐breaking treatments. Notably, 8255 of these records include daily germination counts. This input will facilitate synthesizing germination data and using this database for a myriad of ecological questions. Given the variety of seed traits and the extensive germination information made available by this database, we expect it to be a valuable resource advancing comparative functional ecology and guiding seed‐based restoration and biodiversity conservation in tropical megadiverse ecosystems. There are no copyright restrictions on the data; please cite this paper when using the current data in publications; also the authors would appreciate notification of how the data are used in publications.