DOI: 10.5061/dryad.n02v6wx8w
title: Data from: Seed bank diversity and composition during natural tropical forest regeneration

description: Regeneration of tropical forests following agricultural abandonment is a
 critical process for global ecosystem restoration and climate change
 mitigation. Despite being a key component of tropical secondary
 succession, our understanding of soil seed bank dynamics remains
 incomplete. This study examines the soil seed bank in 10 forest stands, 10
 to 130 years after abandonment, and two agricultural areas in and around
 the Barro Colorado Natural Monument in central Panama. Using this
 chronosequence that spans early to late successional stages, we
 investigated changes in density, species richness, dispersal mode, and
 composition of the soil seed bank. While early succession was dominated by
 herbaceous species, their density and richness declined sharply in the
 first decades. By 50 years, seed densities had stabilised at a lower level
 and were dominated by woody species, whose species richness and density
 increased over time. In terms of species composition, forest sites ≤ 10
 years old differed significantly from sites ≥ 50 years. Seed banks of
 sites 50 to 130 years old were similar to each other in species
 composition based on abundance but not incidence, suggesting a slow
 recovery of rare species. Our findings also indicate the recovery of
 animal-dispersed seeds in older forests and that forest integrity, which
 reflects the condition and continuity of the surrounding forest, was more
 influential than forest age in driving seed bank recovery. These results
 emphasise the prominent role of animal seed dispersers and intact,
 well-connected forest patches in driving seed bank recovery and, by
 extension, forest regeneration.
description: # Data from: Seed bank diversity and composition during natural tropical
 forest regeneration Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.n02v6wx8w](10.5061/dryad.n02v6wx8w) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Data from: Seed bank diversity and composition
 during natural tropical forest regeneration. The data were collected in
 2024 in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, central Panama. Identity and
 number of species were determined using the germination method. Data
 related to aboveground vegetation, species nativity, and seed dispersal
 were gathered from other publications. ### Files and variables #### File:
 data.xlsx ##### File Descriptions 1.       Census: contains data from seed
 bank sampling and the germination process. * Plot_id_census: Name of the
 sample site as recorded during the census * Sample_num: Sample number
 (1-20) indicating which sampling event the seedling was detected in *
 Germination_date: Date when the censused seedling germinated *
 Seedling_id: Identification of the seedling (to species, genus, family
 level, or morphospecies) 2.       Standing_vegetation: records of all
 species identified in the sampling vegetation during previous tree
 censuses. * Plot_id: Name of the sample site as it appears in publications
 (differs from Plot_id_census) * Species_Name: Scientific name of the tree
 species 3.       Species_description: information on seed dispersal
 methods and nativity status of all species recorded in the seed bank. *
 Seedling_id: Identification of the seedling (to species, genus, family
 level, or morphospecies) * Growth_form: Growth form classification (liana,
 herb, tree, or shrub) * Woody: Whether the species is woody or non-woody *
 Bat: Dispersed by bats (TRUE/FALSE) * Small_bird: Dispersed by small birds
 (TRUE/FALSE) * Large_bird: Dispersed by large birds (TRUE/FALSE) *
 Nonvolant_mammal: Dispersed by non-flying mammals (TRUE/FALSE) * Wind:
 Wind dispersed (TRUE/FALSE) * Explosive: Explosive dispersal mechanism
 (TRUE/FALSE) * Water: Water dispersed (TRUE/FALSE) * Invasive: Nativity
 status (N = native, I = introduced; note that I indicates introduced, not
 necessarily invasive) 4.       Plots_description: information about the
 study sites. * Plot_name: Full name of the plot * Plot_id: Plot identifier
 used in publications * Plot_id_census: Plot identifier used during census
 (matches Census file) * Longitude_W: Longitude in decimal degrees West
 (Geographic coordinates are provided in decimal degrees using the WGS84
 datum) * Latitude_N: Latitude in decimal degrees North * Age: Forest age
 in years, approximated to the nearest 10 years * Integrity: Forest
 landscape integrity index value (0-10 scale, following Grantham et al.
 2020) 5.       Samples_list: complete list of all samples in the study (20
 samples per site). * Plot_id: Plot identifier * Sample_id: Unique
 identifier combining Plot_ID with sample number (1-20) * Age: Forest age
 6.       Metadata: information about morphospecies relabeling after
 additional identification efforts. #### File:
 Seed_bank_diversity_and_composition_during_natural_tropical_forest_regeneration.Rmd **Description:**  R script used to perform the analyses. Rmd format. ## Code/software Analyses were performed using R (version 4.2.3) in the RStudio environment.