DOI: 10.5061/dryad.hmgqnk9dr
title: Distribution of 8 species of large-seeded pines and their primary animal seed-dispersers in China: match or mismatch?

description: Aim: The geographic distribution of plants influenced by seed dispersal,
 but this influence on plants that use animals as seed dispersers is often
 overlooked. Here, we took large-seeded pines and primary seed dispersers
 as examples to explore the effects of existing or potential seed dispersal
 on the distribution of plants based on the geographical distribution of
 the two trophic species, it required understanding of (a) the distribution
 range and distribution characteristics of each species, and (b) the
 overlapping of distribution areas of animals and plants to explore whether
 they match. Location: China Methods: To find the target species, we
 identified eight large-seeded pine species in China in terms of seed size
 and wing traits as well as four primary seed disperser species in terms of
 body size, seed-diet, food hoarding behavior and frequencies in existing
 studies. Then, we obtained species distribution information from books and
 literature and used ArcGIS for mapping. Finally, we analyzed the
 distribution relationship by overlapping the distribution areas and
 patterns comprehensively. Results: We identified eight species of
 large-seeded pines (Pinus fenzeliana, P. gerardiana, P. dabeshanensis, P.
 koraiensis, P. pumila, P. bungeana, P. armandii, and P. sibirica) and four
 species of primary seed dispersers (Nucifraga caryocatactes, Sciurus
 vulgaris, Tamias sibiricus, and Sciurotamias davidianus). These eight
 species of large-seeded pines interlaced from the Northeast to the
 Southwest of China along the mountains with an average altitude of
 1000-2000 m, while each species of primary seed disperser had a wide
 distribution range that overlapped completely or partially with that of
 four or more species of the large-seeded pines. Not only that, our
 findings provided potential seed dispersers for pines that lack sufficient
 research on seed dispersal. Main conclusions: The distribution pattern of
 large-seeded pines and the primary seed dispersers was matched, we
 believed that reciprocal relationship promotes this distribution pattern.
 Our study highlights the importance of incorporating the ecological
 consequences of geographical distribution into reciprocal interactions
 between species and biodiversity conservation.
description: In the study of 27 species
 of <i>Pinus</i> plants in North America, it was found that
 seed mass greater than 90mg would not be able to effectively be dispersed
 through the wind, but it was more suitable for animal dispersal (Benkman,
 1995b; Greene & Johnson, 1993). Based on the results, we defined
 <i>Pinus</i> plants with wingless or functionally wingless and
 heavy seeds (a single seed over 90mg) as large-seeded pines (Zhang, M. Y.
 et al., 2020). Several search engines were used
 to identify publications with abstracts that contain the Latin or Chinese
 names of the pines as well as the words “seed” and “seed dispersers”.
 These search engines included Web of Science, Biological Abstracts, China
 National Knowledge Internet, and Wildlife & Ecology Studies
 Worldwide. We retained only articles, reviews, and theses published in
 English and Chinese. After searching, 24 Chinese articles and 18 English
 articles were selected in terms of their contained information regarding
 seed dispersal of the 8 specified species of pines (S1), the seed
 dispersers of the large-seeded pines were recorded in each study (S2), and
 then we collected seed traits data of <i>Pinus</i> plants’
 seeds in China, including seed mass, seed size (length and width) and wing
 length, by consulting books and some of the above
 literatures(S3). Not only that, we looked for
 ecological traits of seed dispersers, according to the animal directory
 collected (S2), including body mass, seed-diet (the proportion of seeds in
 the diet) and hoarding behaviors of animals (S4). We used animals’ body
 mass (g), seed-diet and hoarding behavior as determinants of seed
 dispersal outcomes of large-seeded pines (Park, 2002; Riceoxley, 1993;
 Tomback & Linhart, 1990; Wang, Z. et al., 2018) that may influence
 the efficiency of seed dispersal. By examining the significance of
 frequency of occurrence and different ecological traits, we would identify
 the primary seed dispersers of <i>Pinus</i> plants.
 <b>Geographic distribution range data collection</b> To the best of our knowledge, the detailed pines and animal ranges available were Flora of China (Flora of China, http://www.iplant.cn/) and Fauna Sinica (Luo, 2000; Zhang, Z. X., 2007) , which were published by Science Press and hosted by the Chinese Academy of Science, and we used the data we needed from these books. Although these data are considered a landmark for studies conducted on the ecology and conservation of pines, rodents, and birds, updating the databases is demanding, because neglecting added information can be detrimental to conservation efforts (Hughes, 2017). Besides, we also referred to books that contain geographic distribution information of target plants and animals. <i>Pinus dabeshanensis</i> and its Origin (Peng & Jiang, 1999), Tibet Vegetation (Chinese academy of sciences, 1988) and Floristics of Seed Plants from China (Wu, Z. Y., 2011) were as literary references for the distribution of pines, while A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China (Third Edition) (Zheng, 2017), China’s Mammal Diversity and Geographic Distribution (Jiang et al., 2015), and Study on Rodents in Typical Semi-desert and Desert Areas of China (Wu, X. D. et al., 2008) were the literary references for the distribution of seed dispersers. <b>Distribution maps and analyses</b> Based on the data collected on the distribution range of species we mapped the distribution of large-seeded pine and their primary seed dispersers. During the drawing process, we excluded the habitats of lakes, rivers, and deserts, which are not suitable for these plants and animals to live based on the known distribution areas. In addition, apart from the animals specially designated as having a discrete distribution in the literature, it was assumed that animals were present in a certain area. Compared to the habitats of animals, if there was no significant difference in the geographical environment of adjacent areas, we assumed the animal’s distribution in those areas. Then, we fitted the distribution map of different seed dispersers and <i>Pinus</i> plants respectively, and calculated the area occupied by animals in different pine distribution areas and calculated the proportion by using the intersection function. ArcGIS 10.2 (Esri, USA) was used to analyze and visualize the results based on the 1:3,000,000 scale of the Chinese administrative geography vector map.