Interpreting global spatiotemporal patterns in seed dispersal modes under data and methodological constraints
New Phytologist, vol. 252, pp. 1001–1003
Abstract
Interpreting global spatiotemporal patterns in seed dispersal modes under data and methodological constraintsA reply to Wasowicz & Green (2026): 'Towards a clearer understanding of evolution of angiosperm dispersal: classical syndromes are subjective and should not be confused with mechanisms'We thank Wasowicz & Green (2026) for their thoughtful commentary on our recent study (Jin et al., 2026) on the evolutionary history and global distribution of seed dispersal modes in angiosperms.Their main criticisms concern the treatment and interpretation of our dispersal mode data, including the heterogeneity of data sources, the use of seed dispersal classifications as proxies for dispersal ability, and the simplification of dispersal categories through the exclusion of polychory.While some of these issues were acknowledged in the discussion of our original paper, we provide here a more detailed clarification of our rationale and the analytical constraints of our approach.A central constraint of our study arises from the availability and completeness of global seed dispersal data.The seed dispersal process is inherently complex, involving multiple potential pathways, agents, and phases (Rubalcava-Castillo et al., 2025), and growing empirical evidence continues to reveal additional layers of this complexity.For example, while diaspore traits are commonly linked to specific dispersal categories (i.e. the dispersal syndrome hypothesis), accumulating evidence suggests that such trait-based inferences may be limited, as these traits are shaped by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes and do not always reflect actual dispersal, particularly in animal-mediated systems (Valenta & Nevo, 2020;Green et al., 2022).In addition, seed dispersal is a context-dependent process, with dominant vectors and dispersal effectiveness potentially shifting with local environmental conditions (Johnson et al., 2019).Therefore, an accurate characterization of seed dispersal modes should ideally integrate trait-based inferences with direct observations and experimental approaches, and fully capture polychory (i.e.plants with multiple dispersal pathways) and diplochory (i.e.plants with sequential dispersal phases) when present (S adlo et al., 2018;Beckman et al., 2026).However, such comprehensive information remains scarce at the global scale.This limitation is particularly acute for rare longdistance dispersal events that, while evolutionarily significant, occur infrequently and unpredictably ( Nogales et al., 2012;
Authors 9
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Lu Jin corresponding
Chinese Academy of Sciences · South China Botanical Garden
Affiliation as printed
Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 China
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Chinese Academy of Sciences · South China Botanical Garden
Affiliation as printed
Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 China
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Ecology and State Key Laboratory for Vegetation Structure, Function and Construction (VegLab), College of Urban and Environmental Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China
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Affiliation as printed
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
National Herbarium of NSW, Botanic Gardens of Sydney Mount Annan NSW 2567 Australia
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Renske E. Onstein Aachen
Leiden University · Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Affiliation as printed
Institute for Biology Leiden (IBL) Leiden University Sylviusweg 72 2333BE Leiden the Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center Darwinweg 2 2333CR Leiden the Netherlands
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Dieder de Frens Aachen
Naturalis Biodiversity Center · University of Zurich · Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Biosystematics Group Wageningen University Droevendaalsesteeg 1 6708 PB Wageningen the Netherlands
Institute for Systematic and Evolutionary Botany University of Zurich Zollikerstr. 107 8003 Zurich Switzerland
Naturalis Biodiversity Center Darwinweg 2 2333CR Leiden the Netherlands
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German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Affiliation as printed
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig 4 04103 Leipzig Germany
Institute of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution Friedrich Schiller University Jena 07743 Jena Germany
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Chinese Academy of Sciences · South China Botanical Garden
Affiliation as printed
Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 China
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Xue‐Jun Ge corresponding
Chinese Academy of Sciences · South China Botanical Garden
Affiliation as printed
Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 China
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