DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txkq
title: Data from: frugivory by carnivores: black-backed jackals are key dispersers of seeds of the scented !nara melon in the Namib desert

description: Carnivorous mammals have been reported to feed on fleshy fruits and to
 disperse seeds, but these interactions are seldom observed and are poorly
 understood. Scent may play a key role in these interactions, given that
 most carnivores have sensitive olfactory systems and dichromatic vision.
 The !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus: Cucurbitaceae) in the Namib desert
 produces large (10 – 20 cm diameter) melons that remain green while
 undergoing increased volatile emissions with a changing chemical profile
 as they ripen. Using extensive camera trapping, we found that the fruits
 are consumed mainly by black-backed jackals and rarely also by other
 carnivores such as cape fox and brown hyaena. Scent cues play a key role
 as jackals mainly sought fruits at night and easily located ripe fruits
 buried beneath the sand. Seeds retrieved from jackal scat showed improved
 germination relative to un-ingested seeds. This study highlights the
 importance of fruit scent in mediating seed-dispersal mutualisms involving
 mammalian carnivores. 
description: The Data was data in the Excel sheet named Jackal
 Visitation, and Buried was collected using motion sensor camera traps.
 Therefore, the information has been manually extracted from videos and
 images captured by the camera from the experiment to observe animals
 visiting !nara plants, removal and consumption of melon, as well as other
 behaviours displayed by the visiting animal. Data in
 the seed germination file was obtained from the germination experiment
 that was performed in the Laboratory. Detailed
 methods of the experiments are included in the Manuscript under the method
 section.
description: # Data from: frugivory by carnivores: black-backed jackals are key
 dispersers of seeds of the scented !nara melon in the Namib desert
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txkq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3xsj3txkq) ## Description of the data and file structure This README file describes the data package accompanying the above Manuscript. Files: This folder contains three Excel sheets as described below: 1\. Jackal visitation: Contains three spreadsheets as described below a. DataFrame; which contains the data used to analyze the results of visitation and fruit removal/consumption. b. Plant ID; which contains the ID of the individual plants used in the study and their coordinates (Latitude and Longitude). c. MetaData: Contain the information and explanation of each column in the DataFrame spreadsheet. 2\. Buried melons: Contain two spreadsheets as described below a. Dataframe: Contain the data from the cafeteria experiment that was set up to identify whether jackals will detect experimentally buried melons using scent. b. MetaData: Explain each column in the Dataframe spreadsheet. 3\. Seed germination: Contain three spreadsheets as described below a. Dataframe: Contain the data from the germination experiment that was used to analyse seed germination and viability for jackal ingested seeds and uningested seeds (control) b. Days of germination: Contain information on how many seeds germinated from each treatment (ingested vs control) on each day within a 30-day experimental period. c. MetaData; Explanation of each column in the Dataframe spreadsheet. No codes were used for the analysis. All statistics and graphs were generated using SPSS. Generalized linear models were implemented using the GENLIN and GENLINMIXED modules in SPSS 27 (IBM Corp.) To test for the significance of differences in the chemical composition of ripe and unripe fruits, we used the permutational ANOSIM method and to identify compounds responsible for similarities and dissimilarities; we used the SIMPER method, both implemented in Primer 6.1.6.