Minimum Dispersal Time Between Caribbean Islands for Fleshy-Fruited Plants

14 fleshy-fruited plant species were assessed for their thalassochoric dispersal potential by measuring their floating and viability period in saltwater. Thalassochoric connectivity between 44 Caribbean islands was determined by analyzing the paths of 1198 drifter buoys that passed through the region between 1991 and 2019. The dataset, created by Seokmin Kim and last updated in May 2026, serves as a crucial first step in understanding the role of sea currents in plant distribution.

Use Cases

• Modeling potential seed dispersal pathways between islands based on ocean current connectivity.
• Analyzing the relationship between fruit floating duration and species distribution across the Caribbean.
• Comparing thalassochoric dispersal potential against traditional geographic distance metrics in island biogeography.

Strengths

• Includes data on 14 fleshy-fruited plant species with measured floating potential ranging from 0 to over 90 days.
• Analyzes connectivity between 44 Caribbean islands using trajectories from 1198 drifter buoys.
• Covers a long temporal range for ocean current data, from 1991 to 2019.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analyses.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is very small at 9.8 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a summary or connectivity matrix.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Dispersal potential was assessed via laboratory measurements; island connectivity was determined by analyzing drifter buoy paths.

Time Range

Dispersal potential study time frame not specified; buoy trajectory data spans 1991–2019.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-27 17:35:57; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Caribbean islands (44 islands studied).