DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c866t1gn4
title: Data from: The ecology of attraction: Fruit traits and frugivore diversity in Neotropical <em>Piper</em>

description: Fruit traits can benefit plant reproduction by enhancing seed dispersal by
 mutualistic frugivores (e.g., seed dispersal syndromes), but identifying
 the role of fruit traits in mediating frugivory is challenging because
 they can serve multiple functions, and plant-frugivore interactions can
 vary spatially and are rarely exclusive. We use a community of neotropical
 Piper to test the hypothesis that fruit trait differences between ecotypes
 (forest, gap) either augment or constrain the diversity of interacting
 frugivores, with the broader goal of contributing to an understanding of
 how habitat, phylogeny, and ecological interactions influence fruit trait
 variation. Since bats are the primary seed dispersers of Piper in the
 community studied, we map the traits of Piper species consumed by bats and
 discuss how these may align with bat sensory modes and abilities to
 capture and consume fruit. We find differences in fruit traits between
 Piper ecotypes that are consistent with accessibility by different
 communities of frugivores. Gap Piper, which exhibits greater frugivore
 diversity (bats, birds, insects), has a significantly longer fruiting
 period, and their ripe fruits have a more chemically diverse fruit scent
 bouquet. Conversely, forest Piper is consumed only by bats, generally
 produces fruit in short peaks, and their fruit has a less diverse scent
 bouquet. Additionally, gap Piper fruits tend to be greener, softer, erect,
 and have smaller seeds, whereas forest Piper fruits span a wider range of
 colors, are harder and either erect or pendulous, and have larger seeds;
 however, these differences did not emerge as statistically significant in
 our analyses. Piper species present in bat diets are
 characterized by having longer fruiting phenologies, greener fruits, and
 volatile organic compounds in their fruit scent that have been previously
 demonstrated to be preferred by Piper specialist bats. Our results suggest
 that fruit traits in Piper may facilitate or constrain interactions with
 different frugivore communities across habitats. As most of the Piper
 species studied produce fruits that are visually inconspicuous, chemically
 complex, and consumed by bats, this system merits further study at a
 broader taxonomic scale to evaluate the possibility of a dispersal
 syndrome.
description: # Data from: The ecology of attraction: Fruit traits and frugivore
 diversity in Neotropical *Piper* Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.c866t1gn4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c866t1gn4) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Plant and fruit trait data
 (dimensions, color, and hardness) were collected from 34 species of
 *Piper* from field observations and measurements at a site in Costa Rica.
 These data were complemented with data from the literature on the presence
 of bat diet and fruit scent. The first column includes species names, and
 the Cells containing "NA" are empty or missing data. ### Files
 and variables #### File: Santana_et_al._Piper_fruit_traits_dryad.xlsx
 **Description:**  | **Variable** | **Descriptithe onthe ** | |
 :------------------------------------------ |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
 In bat diet | Presence in the bat diet, from the literature | | Ecotype |
 Ecotype based on field observations and herbarium records | | Fruit type |
 Fruit morphology, based on field observations | | Fruiting phenology
 (months with fruit/year) | Number of months per year in which plants were
 found with fruit | | Nsize | Sample size (number of fruits) for fruit
 dimensions (length, diameter) | | Fruit length (mm) | Average fruit length
 excluding the pedicel, in mm | | Fruit length\_SE | Fruit length Standard
 Error | | Fruit diameter (mm) | Average fruit diameter at its widest part,
 in mm | | Fruit diameter\_SE | Fruit diameter Standard Error | | Nseeds |
 Number of seeds measured | | Seed length (mm) | Average seed length, in mm
 | | Seed length\_SE | Seed length Standard Error | | Seed width (mm) |
 Average seed width, in mm | | Seed width\_SE | Seed width Standard Error |
 | N hardness | Sample size (number of fruits) for fruit hardness | | Fruit
 hardness (Newtons) | Average fruit hardness in Newtons | | Fruit
 hardness\_SE | Hardnessrdness Standard Error | | Ncolor | Sample size
 (number of fruits) for color measurements | | Color PC1 | PC1 scores of
 color variables | | Color PC2 | PC2 scores of color variables | | Color
 PC3 | PC3 scores of color variables | | Color PC4 | PC4 scores of color
 variables | | Color PC5 | PC5 scores of color variables | | Number of VOCs
 | Number of Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe fruit scent | | VOC MDS1 |
 MDS1 scores for Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe fruit scent | | VOC
 MDS2 | MDS2 scores for Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe fruit scent | |
 VOC MDS3 | MDS3 scores for Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe fruit scent
 | | VOC MDS4 | MDS4 scores for Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe fruit
 scent | | VOC MDS5 | MDS5 scores for Volatile Organic Compounds in ripe
 fruit scent | #### Code/software Viewable in any software that can open
 Excel files