DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw77m
title: Data from: Roads shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges

description: The influence of road networks on seed dispersal remains poorly
 understood. We conducted a field experiment in Mediterranean oak woodlands
 of southern Portugal to assess how road type (paved vs. unpaved) and
 road-forest context (edge vs. non-edge) shape seed dispersal by rodents
 and carnivores. Using labeled acorns and seed mimics, we tracked dispersal
 distances, number of dispersals, road crossings, and dispersal directions.
 Rodents dispersed seeds farther in forest edges and along paved roadsides,
 predominantly moving them parallel to roads, but rarely across—although
 crossings were more frequent on unpaved roads. In contrast, carnivores
 mediated long-distance dispersal, primarily perpendicular to roads, and
 although seed road crossings were rare, carnivore-dispersed seeds crossed
 roads—especially unpaved ones—nine times more frequently than
 rodent-dispersed seeds. Shrub cover increased rodent-mediated dispersal
 events, heavier acorns traveled farther, and water patches decreased
 carnivore-mediated dispersal events near roads. These findings highlight
 the dual role of roads as barriers and of roadsides as corridors for seed
 dispersal, with implications for forest regeneration and habitat
 connectivity. Roadside management should prioritize moderate shrub cover
 along paved roads to support rodent dispersal while balancing ecological
 benefits with potential trade-offs. Unpaved roads, in turn, should be
 managed as functional corridors for carnivores, enhancing connectivity
 between fragmented forests. By integrating species-specific dispersal
 processes into road planning, landscapes can be designed to minimize road
 barrier effects while promoting natural regeneration in human-modified
 forests.
description: # Roads shape seed dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges
 Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw77m ### Description of the data and file
 structure Authors: João Craveiro, Miguel N Bugalho, Pedro Gonçalves Vaz
 This dataset supports the published article titled "Roads shape seed
 dispersal by rodents and carnivores at forest edges." Detailed
 information regarding the objectives, study design, and data collection
 methods can be found in the published manuscript. #### File Description
 The Excel file contains two worksheets: ##### 1. RodentData This sheet
 provides the final data used in regression analyses for the
 rodent-mediated seed dispersal – distance and number of dispersals; as
 explained in subsection 2.4.1 of the article. The columns are: site.id:
 Road-section identifier station.id: Seed-supply station identifier
 acorn.id: Acorn identifier context: Road-forest context roadtype: Road
 type roadeffect: Road effect category dispdist.m: Acorn dispersal distance
 (m) dispnumber: Number of acorn dispersal events per station distroad.m:
 Final distance of acorn deposition from the road (m) cross.yn: Whether the
 acorn crossed a road (yes/no) weight.g: Acorn weight (g) rodent.ha: Rodent
 density in the section (individuals ha⁻¹) acornavailability: Mean number
 of acorns available on trees near the station microsite: Microsite of
 acorn deposition grasscover: Percentage of grass cover near the station
 shrubcover: Percentage of shrub cover near the station tree.ha: Oak tree
 density near the station (trees ha⁻¹) dispersalangle.deg: Angular
 deviation of acorn dispersal from the road (°). ##### 2. CarnivoreData
 This sheet provides the final data used in regression analyses for the
 carnivore-mediated seed dispersal – distance and number of dispersals; as
 explained in subsection 2.4.2 of the article. The columns are: site.id:
 Road section identifier context: Road–forest context roadtype: Road type
 species: Carnivore species that deposited the scat corresponding to the
 dispersal event disp.id: Dispersal‐event identifier dispdist.m: Seed
 dispersal distance (m) dispnumber: Number of dispersal events per site
 cross.yn: Whether the dispersal event crossed a road (yes/no) distroad.m:
 Distance from seed deposition to the road (m) carnivore.kai: Carnivore
 abundance at the site (Kilometric Abundance Index) stream.m: Total length
 of watercourses at the site (m) waterpatch.n: Number of water patches at
 the site waterpatch.ha: Total area of water patches at the site (ha)
 tree.ha: Oak tree density at the site (trees ha⁻¹) dispersalangle.deg:
 Angular deviation of the dispersal event from the road (°). #### Contact
 For questions or additional information, please contact the corresponding
 author: Pedro Gonçalves Vaz – [pjvaz@fc.ul.pt](mailto:pjvaz@fc.ul.pt) (or
 [zasvaz@gmail.com](mailto:zasvaz@gmail.com)) ### Files and variables ####
 File: 2025_Craveiro_etal.xlsx #### Description:  This dataset contains
 data on seed dispersal by small rodents and mesocarnivores. The dataset
 was collected in the Alentejo, southern Portugal and it was used to assess
 how road-forest context (edge vs. non-edge) and road type (paved vs.
 unpaved) may influence seed dispersal. The file includes two tabs, each
 referring to the regressions described above. #### Code/software The data
 provided can be opened with any standard spreadsheet software such as
 Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, or Google Sheets. However, all analyses
 were conducted in R (version 4.1.1), a free and open-source statistical
 computing environment available at
 [https://www.r-project.org](https://www.r-project.org).