DOI: 10.5061/dryad.fqz612jps
title: Data from: Life in the canopy: community trait assessments reveal substantial functional diversity among fern epiphytes

description: The expansion of angiosperm-dominated forests in the Cretaceous and early
 Cenozoic had a profound effect on terrestrial biota by creating novel
 ecological niches. The majority of modern fern lineages are hypothesized
 to have arisen in response to this expansion, particularly fern epiphytes
 that radiated into the canopy. Recent evidence, however, suggests that
 epiphytism does not correlate with increased diversification rates in
 ferns, calling into question the role of the canopy habitat in fern
 evolution. To understand the role of the canopy in structuring fern
 community diversity, we investigated functional traits of fern sporophytes
 and gametophytes across a broad phylogenetic sampling on the island of
 Moorea, French Polynesia, including &gt; 120 species and
 representatives of multiple epiphytic radiations. While epiphytes showed
 convergence in small size and a higher frequency of non-cordate
 gametophytes, they showed greater functional diversity at the community
 level relative to terrestrial ferns. These results suggest previously
 overlooked functional diversity among fern epiphytes, and raise the
 hypothesis that while the angiosperm canopy acted as a complex filter that
 restricted plant size, it also facilitated diversification into finely
 partitioned niches. Characterizing these niche axes and adaptations of
 epiphytic ferns occupying them should be a priority for future
 pteridological research.
description: Morphological traits of ferns from Moorea, French Polynesia were
 measured from voucher specimens or obtained from literature when plant
 material was unavailable. Sporophyte traits include: stipe length, frond
 length, frond width, rhizome diameter, frond dissection, number of pinna
 pairs, and specific leaf area. Gametophyte traits include: morphotype and
 presence or absence of gemmae, glands, and hairs.
 Temperature (celsius) and relative humidity (%) were measured
 every 15 minutes (Moorea) or 60 minutes (Tahiti) with 33 dataloggers on
 Moorea and Tahiti, French Polynesia from 2012-07-18 to 2015-02-06. On
 Moorea, Hobo Pro v2 data loggers with the RS3 Solar Radiation Shield
 (Onset Corporation, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA) were used. On Tahiti,
 RHTemp 1000 data loggers (MadgeTech, Warner, New Hampshire, USA) protected
 with custom radiation shields made from plastic circuit boxes were
 used.
description: Files included: filmy_SLA.csv: Mass of leaf
 fragments of (mostly) filmy ferns (family Hymenophyllaceae) from Moorea,
 French Polynesia used to calculate specific leaf area (SLA).
 hobo_moorea_aorai_2-24-15.csv: Temperature (celsius) and relative
 humidity (%) measured every 15 minutes (Moorea) or 60 minutes (Tahiti)
 with 33 dataloggers on Moorea and Tahiti, French Polynesia from 2012-07-18
 to 2015-02-06. moorea_climate.csv: Temperature
 (celsius) and relative humidity (%) measured every 15 minutes, subsetted
 to only Moorea and excluding days missing data.
 morph_measurements.csv: Measurements of stipe length, frond
 length, frond width, rhizome diameter (all in cm), and number of pinna
 pairs on ferns (one measurement per individual) from Moorea, French
 Polynesia. morph_qual_traits.csv: Observations of
 qualitative trait states in ferns from Moorea, French Polynesia.
 name_update.csv: Updated names to use for species whose name was
 replaced with a newer synonym since the time of data collection.
 ppgi_taxonomy.csv: Pteridophyte Phylogeny I working group
 taxonomic system for pteridophytes at the genus level and above.
 SLA_measurements.csv: Mass of leaf punches of ferns from Moorea,
 French Polynesia used to calculate specific leaf area (SLA).
 table_1.csv: Summary of traits used in this study.
 For details, see README file.