DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2n430
title: Data from: Combined effects of seed and soil quality drive seedling performance of a late-successional canopy tree in a tropical forest

description: Habitat loss and fragmentation affect the structure and functioning of
 forested ecosystems worldwide, yet we lack an understanding of how species
 respond to environmental changes. Here, we examined reproductive success
 and seedling performance of Poulsenia armata (Moraceae) in continuous and
 fragmented forests of Los Tuxtlas, southern Mexico. We further
 investigated how maternal habitat and soil conditions manifested in the
 seedling stage. We determined seed quality and seedling performance by
 combining isotopic analyses in seed quality with field observations of P.
 armata fruit production and a common--garden experiment. Soil conditions
 in forest fragments negatively impacted P. armata reproductive success.
 Trees of P. armata in forest fragments were smaller in size and produced
 fewer fruits and smaller seeds with lower quality compared with trees from
 the continuous forest. The combined effects of maternal habitat and soil
 conditions determined seedling survival and growth of this tropical tree.
 Notably, seedlings had restricted plasticity for biomass allocation to
 roots, limiting the capacity of fragmented populations to compensate for
 the initial low N content in seeds. Trees in forest fragments at Los
 Tuxtlas produced offspring competitively inferior and potentially less
 resilient than counterparts in continuous forest, jeopardizing future
 persistence of this late-successional tree species.
description: Fruit production of
 Poulsenia armataData on annual fruit and
 seed production for Poulsenia armata at Los Tuxtlas forest, Mexico, from
 2010 to 2012. Data includes tree tag, name of the plot and habitat
 type.Fruit_production_per_year.csvSeed germination of Poulsenia armataData on germination of Poulsenia armata seeds from a growing house at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station, Mexico, in 2010. Data soil source, maternal habitat and germination (0 = no germination, 1 = germination)Seed_germination.csvPoulsenia armata seedling survivalData on Poulsenia armata seedling survival from a growing house at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station, Mexico, in 2012. Data includes soil source, maternal habitat and survival (0 = no survival, 1 = survival)Seedling_survival.csvSeed quality parametersData on Poulsenia armata seed quality data at Los Tuxtlas forest, Mexico. Seeds were collected in 2012 and sent to the University of Illinois at Chicago to determine the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (13C12C and 15N14N, respectively), carbon and nitrogen concentrations (% dry mass) and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios. Data also includes seed dry mass, amount of nitrogen per seed and seed relative water contentSeed_parameters.csvTree quality parametersData on Poulsenia armata seed quality at the level of tree at Los Tuxtlas forest, Mexico, from 2012. Data includes habit type, plot, tree tag, as well as, total nitrogen per tree and total nitrogen per tree.Tree_parameters.csvPoulsenia armata seedling biomassData on Poulsenia armata seedling biomass allocation at a growing house at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station, Mexico, from 2012. Data includes soil source and maternal habitat as well as total dry mass, root mass fraction, stem mass fraction, leaf mass fraction, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, stem length, root-to-shoot ratio and number of leaves.Seedling_biomass.csvSoil parametersData on soil quality data from Los Tuxtlas forest, Mexico. Soil samples were collected in 2012 and sent to the University of Illinois at Chicago to determine the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (13C12C and 15N14N, respectively), carbon and nitrogen concentrations (% dry mass), carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and relative water content.Soil_parameters.csv