DiasMorph: a dataset of morphological traits and images of Central European diaspores.

We present DiasMorph, a dataset of images and traits of diaspores from 1,442 taxa in 519 genera, and 96 families from Central Europe, totalling 94,214 records. The dataset was constructed following a standardised and reproducible image analysis method. The image dataset consists of diaspores against a high-contrast background, enabling a simple and efficient segmentation process.

Global seed dormancy patterns are driven by macroclimate but not fire regime.

Seed dormancy maximizes plant recruitment in habitats with variation in environmental suitability for seedling establishment. Yet, we still lack a comprehensive synthesis of the macroecological drivers of nondormancy and the different classes of seed dormancy: physiological dormancy, morphophysiological dormancy and physical dormancy. We examined current geographic patterns and environmental correlates of global seed dormancy variation.

Phosphorus fractions in leaves.

Leaf phosphorus (P) comprises four major fractions: inorganic phosphate (P ), nucleic acids, phospholipids, P-containing metabolites and a residual fraction. In this review paper, we investigated whether allocation of P fractions varies among groups of terrestrial vascular plants, and is indicative of a species' strategy to use P efficiently. We found that as leaf total P concentration increases, the P fraction increases the most, without a plateau, while other fractions plateau.

Rock n' Seeds: A database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation.

Advancing functional ecology depends fundamentally on the availability of data on reproductive traits, including those from tropical plants, which have been historically underrepresented in global trait databases. Although some valuable databases have been created recently, they are mainly restricted to temperate areas and vegetative traits such as leaf and wood traits. Here, we present Rock n' Seeds, a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation, recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism.

Seed Functional Traits Provide Support for Ecological Restoration and Conservation in the Threatened Amazon Ironstone Outcrop Flora.

Cangas (ironstone outcrops) host a specialized flora, characterized by high degree of edaphic endemism and an apparent lack of natural history knowledge of its flora. Due to intense pressure from iron ore mining this ecosystem is under threat and in need of restoration. We studied seed functional traits that are relevant for restoration, translocation and conservation in 48 species from cangas in eastern Amazon.

Handling by avian frugivores affects diaspore secondary removal.

The balance between the costs and benefits of fleshy fruit production depends on the feeding behavior of their seed dispersers, which might effectively disperse seeds to farther areas or drop beneath parent plants some diaspores they handle during frugivory bouts. Nevertheless, the consequences of variation in fruit handling by primary seed dispersers on the secondary removal of diaspores remains poorly understood. We conducted a field study to determine how variation in fruit handling by avian frugivores affects short-term secondary removal of Miconia irwinii (Melastomataceae) diaspores by the ground-dwelling fauna in campo rupestre vegetation, southeastern Brazil.

Intraspecific variation in fruit-frugivore interactions: effects of fruiting neighborhood and consequences for seed dispersal.

The extent of specialization/generalization continuum in fruit-frugivore interactions at the individual level remains poorly explored. Here, we investigated the interactions between the Neotropical treelet Miconia irwinii (Melastomataceae) and its avian seed dispersers in Brazilian campo rupestre. We built an individual-based network to derive plant degree of interaction specialization regarding disperser species.

Phylogeny strongly drives seed dormancy and quality in a climatically buffered hotspot for plant endemism.

Background And Aims: Models of costs and benefits of dormancy (D) predict that the evolutionarily stable strategy in long-term stable environments is for non-dormancy (ND), but this prediction remains to be tested empirically. We reviewed seed traits of species in the climatically buffered, geologically stable and nutrient-impoverished campo rupestre grasslands in Brazil to test the hypothesis that ND is favoured over D. We examined the relative importance of life-history traits and phylogeny in driving the evolution of D and assessed seed viability at the community level.