Data Set Owners Lina Adonay Urrea-Galeano Ellen Andresen Rosamond Coates Francisco Mora Ardila Alfonso Díaz Rojas Gabriel Ramos-Fernández Title: Horizontal seed dispersal by dung beetles reduced seed and seedling clumping, but did not increase short-term seedling establishment File: Expe1RatioBursera (S1_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Data on the nearest neighbor index for seeds of Bursera. Methods: we established 30 experimental sites in the forest understory (≥ 50 m apart and ≥ 10 m from fruiting adults of the focal plant species). In each site we had 3 circular plots 50 cm in diameter, with 2–3 m between adjacent plots. Each plot was delimited by burying a 30 cm wide metallic mosquito netting strip 10 cm into the soil. From the inside of each plot we removed all seedlings but kept the leaf litter. Each plot was randomly assigned to one of three levels of feces and beetle treatment. In order to measure seed movement, we marked each seed by threading a 30 cm long nylon thread through it. After placing dung and seeds in the plots we covered the two control plots with mosquito netting to exclude dung beetles. After 48 h, when all dung in the plots with dung beetle activity had disappeared from the soil surface, we used a 2 cm grid to map the location of each seed in the three plots. We also registered the seed fate in plots whith dung beetle activity. Column Headings: plot: a number that identifies each plot site: a number that identifies each site Beetle_treatment: treatment levels of feces and beetle manipulation; codes = mashmase = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds embedded in it and access to dung beetles (+Feces+Beetles) mashmene = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds but no access to dung beetles (+Feces-Beetles) menhmene = no dung, 20 seeds placed directly on the forest floor (-Feces-Beetles) Ratio: measurement of the spatial distribution using the Clark-Evans nearest neighbor index R. When R less than 1 the spatial distribution of individuals is clumped, when R equal 1 it is random, and when R greater than 1 it is overdispersed. Nearest_distance: mean distance of the nearest neighbor in cm calculated with the x and y coordinates taken from the grid. File: Expe1RawdataBursera_Spatialdistribution (S2_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Raw data on the coordinates for seeds of Bursera. Methods: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera Column Headings: plot: a number that identifies each plot site: a number that identifies each site Beetle_treatment: treatment levels of feces and beetle manipulation; codes = mashmase = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds embedded in it and access to dung beetles (+Feces+Beetles) mashmene = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds but no access to dung beetles (+Feces-Beetles) menhmene = no dung, 20 seeds placed directly on the forest floor (-Feces-Beetles) ID_Seed: a number that identifies each seed Xcoor1: x coordinates of each seed taken from the grid during the setup of experiment Ycoor1: y coordinates of each seed taken from the grid during the setup of experiment Xcoor2: x coordinates of each seed taken from the grid after 48h Ycoor2: y coordinates of each seed taken from the grid after 48h File: Expe1RawdataBursera_Secondaryseeddispersal (S3_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Raw data on the secondary seed dispersal for seeds of Bursera. Methods: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera. Column Headings: Plot: a number that identifies each plot Site: a number that identifies each site Beetle_treatment: treatment levels of feces and beetle manipulation; codes = mashmase = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds embedded in it and access to dung beetles (+Feces+Beetles) mashmene = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds but no access to dung beetles (+Feces-Beetles) menhmene = no dung, 20 seeds placed directly on the forest floor (-Feces-Beetles) ID_Seed: a number that identifies each seed Seed_fate: after dung beetle activity seeds were calssified as intact (when seeds were unharmed), predated (when seed remains were found) or removed (when the seed could not be found) Intact_seedfate: for seeds intact we recorded if the seed was visible on the soil surface, under leaf-litter, or buried Vertical_distance_cm: measure of the vertical distance for buried seeds Horizontal_distance_cm: measure of the horizontal distance for horizontally moved seeds File: Expe1RatioPoulsenia (S4_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Data on the nearest neighbor index for seeds of Poulsenia. Methods: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera File: Expe1RawdataPoulsenia_Spatialdistribution (S5_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Raw data on the coordinates for seeds of Poulsenia. Methods: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe1RawdataBursera_Spatialdistribution File: Expe1RawdataPoulsenia_Secondaryseeddispersal (S6_Dataset) Description: Experiment 1. Raw data on the secondary seed dispersal for seeds of Poulsenia. Methods: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe1RawdataBursera_Secondaryseeddispersal File: Expe2RatioBursera (S7_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Data on the nearest neighbor index for seedlings of Bursera during the week of peak seedling abundance. Methods: we used a similar experimental setup as for Expe1RatioBursera, but with unmarked seeds (to allow for germination), using the same 30 sites but different plots in each site. Plots were placed in different locations within sites. As in the experiment of seeds, control plots were immediately covered with mosquito netting, while the plot with dung beetle activity was covered with netting after 48 hours. The netting remained throughout the experiment to minimize seed removal by granivorous animals and seedling loss due to herbivory. Once seedling establishment occurred, we checked each plot once a week for 3.5 months. During each check we registered established seedlings of the focal species and we mapped the location of each seedling using the 2 cm grid. Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera File: Expe2RawDataBursera_Spatialdistribution (S8_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Raw data on the coordinates for seedlings of Bursera during the week of peak seedling abundance. Methods: Same as above for file Expe2RatioBursera Column Headings: Week_Peak: number of the week of peak seedling abundance corresponding to each dung and beetle treatment Site: a number that identifies each site plot: a number that identifies each plot Beetle_treatment: treatment levels of feces and beetle manipulation; codes = mashmase = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds embedded in it and access to dung beetles (+Feces+Beetles) mashmene = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds but no access to dung beetles (+Feces-Beetles) menhmene = no dung, 20 seeds placed directly on the forest floor (-Feces-Beetles) ID_Seed: a number that identifies each seedling Xcoor: x coordinates of each seedling taken from the grid during the corresponding week of peak seedling abundance Ycoor: y coordinates of each seedling taken from the grid during the corresponding week of peak seedling abundance File: Expe2SurvivalBursera (S9_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Data on the germination of seeds of Bursera registered weekly for 15 weeks. Methods: Same as above for file Expe2RatioBursera Column Headings: ID_Seed: a number that identifies each seed TimeEsta: number of weeks before observing the event of germination CensoEsta: indicate if the data are right censored (0) or not (1); censored data means that the event of germination did not occur until the last week of observation. site: a number that identifies each site plot: a number that identifies each plot Beetle_treatment: treatment levels of feces and beetle manipulation; codes = mashmase = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds embedded in it and access to dung beetles (+Feces+Beetles) mashmene = 50 g of dung with 20 seeds but no access to dung beetles (+Feces-Beetles) menhmene = no dung, 20 seeds placed directly on the forest floor (-Feces-Beetles) File: Expe2RatioPoulsenia (S10_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Data on the nearest neighbor index for seedlings of Poulsenia during the week of peak seedling abundance. Methods: Same as above for file Expe2RatioBursera Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe1RatioBursera File: Expe2RawdataPoulsenia_Spatialdistribution (S11_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Raw data on the coordinates for seedlings of Poulsenia during the week of peak seedling abundance. Methods: Same as above for file Expe2RatioBursera Column Headings: same as above for file Expe2RawDataBursera_Spatialdistribution File: Expe2SurvivalPoulsenia (S12_Dataset) Description: Experiment 2. Data on the germination of seeds of Poulsenia registered weekly for 15 weeks. Methods: Same as above for file Expe2RatioBursera Column Headings: Same as above for file Expe2SurvivalBursera File: S1Appendix_RawdataDungbeetle_Sampling (S13_Dataset) Description: Data on the dung beetles captured in the Los Tuxtlas Biological Station, Veracruz, Mexico Methods: Dung beetles were captured using in 10 pitfall traps (≥ 100 m), each baited with 50 g of fresh domestic pig dung. The 10 traps were deployed three times (whithout changing their location): in April, September and October 2016, and opened for 48 h every time. All individuals were counted and identified in the Laboratorio de Ecoetología at the Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa,Veracruz, Mexico. Column Headings: Month: month and year in which the 10 traps were deployed and opened Specie: name of each dung beetle identified Abun_Trap1: number of individuals captured in the trap 1 Abun_Trap2: number of individuals captured in the trap 2 Abun_Trap3: number of individuals captured in the trap 3 Abun_Trap4: number of individuals captured in the trap 4 Abun_Trap5: number of individuals captured in the trap 5 Abun_Trap6: number of individuals captured in the trap 6 Abun_Trap7: number of individuals captured in the trap 7 Abun_Trap8: number of individuals captured in the trap 8 Abun_Trap9: number of individuals captured in the trap 9 Abun_Trap10: number of individuals captured in the trap 10