10.5061/DRYAD.B003F
Corrêa Côrtes, Marina
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Columbia University
Uriarte, María
Columbia University
Lemes, Maristerra R.
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro
Gribel, Rogério
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro
Kress, W. John
Smithsonian Institution
Smouse, Peter E.
Rutgers University
Bruna, Emilio M.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
University of Florida
Data from: Low plant density enhances gene dispersal in the Amazonian
understory herb Heliconia acuminata
Dryad
dataset
2013
Habitat Degradation
Plant Mating Systems
Population ecology
Heliconia acuminata
2013-08-15T15:56:33Z
2013-08-15T15:56:33Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.12495
255844 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
In theory, conservation genetics predicts that forest fragmentation will
reduce gene dispersal, but in practice, genetic and ecological processes
are also dependent on other population characteristics. We used Bayesian
genetic analyses to characterize parentage and propagule dispersal in
Heliconia acuminata L. C. Richard (Heliconiaceae), a common Amazonian
understory plant that is pollinated and dispersed by birds. We studied
these processes in two continuous forest sites and three 1-ha fragments in
Brazil's Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project. These sites
showed variation in the density of H. acuminata. Ten microsatellite
markers were used to genotype flowering adults and seedling recruits and
to quantify realized pollen and seed dispersal distances, immigration of
propagules from outside populations, and reproductive dominance among
parents. We tested whether gene dispersal is more dependent on
fragmentation or density of reproductive plants. Low plant densities were
associated with elevated immigration rates and greater propagule dispersal
distances. Reproductive dominance among inside-plot parents was higher for
low density than for high density populations. Elevated local flower and
fruit availability is probably leading to spatially more proximal bird
foraging and propagule dispersal in areas with high density of
reproductive plants. Nevertheless, genetic diversity, inbreeding
coefficients and fine-scale spatial genetic structure were similar across
populations, despite differences in gene dispersal. This result may
indicate that the opposing processes of longer dispersal events in
low-density populations versus higher diversity of contributing parents in
high-density populations balance the resulting genetic outcomes and
prevent genetic erosion in small populations and fragments.
microsat_location_HacuminataThis is an excel file that contains 3
spreadsheets with data on location, microsatellite genotypes and
ecological information (number of flowers, seeds, year of flowering and
recruitment) of the understory plant Heliconia acuminata. Data were
collected in the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Manaus,
Brazil. For more information see the readme
file.genedispersalmodel_code_CortesCode with R script to estimate pollen
and seed dispersal parameters and pedigree of Heliconia acuminata
Manaus
Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project