Seed Rain in a One-Hectare Los Tuxtlas Rainforest Plot, 1981-1983

Javier Laborde and colleagues sampled seed rain deposition over two years in a one-hectare old-growth rainforest plot at the Los Tuxtlas Biological Field Station in Veracruz, Mexico. The data includes 72,318 seeds from 160 species, collected from 100 traps arranged in a grid and sampled every 40 days. The dataset captures spatio-temporal variation, seed size distribution, and dispersal mechanisms, with zoochorous species dominating.

Use Cases

• Modeling spatio-temporal clustering of seed deposition based on the 100-trap grid data.
• Analyzing the relationship between seed size (e.g., <3mm vs >7mm) and abundance patterns.
• Studying inter-annual variation in species diversity based on the reported shift from 99 to 124 species between years.
• Investigating the role of external seed sources, given that approximately 40% of species came from outside the plot.

Strengths

• Contains 72,318 seed records from 160 species, providing a substantial sample.
• Covers two full years of sampling (May 1981 to May 1983) with regular 40-day collection intervals.
• Includes spatial data from a systematic 10x10 grid of 100 seed traps within a defined one-hectare plot.
• Reports specific metrics like average seed density (1,842 seeds/m²/year) and dispersal mode proportions (84% zoochorous).

Limitations

• Data is provided in PDF format, which complicates direct computational analysis.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset's scale is limited to a single one-hectare plot over a specific historical period.

Provenance

Source

Javier Laborde, associated with the Los Tuxtlas Biological Field Station administered by the Institute of Biology, UNAM.

Collection Method

Seed-fall was sampled in 100 circular traps (50 cm diameter) arranged in a regular grid, collected every 40 (±5) days.

Time Range

May 1981 to May 1983

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-09 17:12:49; freshness should be verified.

Geography

One-hectare forest plot within the Los Tuxtlas Biological Field Station, Veracruz, Mexico