DOI: 10.5061/dryad.51c59zwm7
title: Traits of aphidophagous coccinellids and landscape variables

description: Coccinellids are important biocontrol agents and are threatened by
 agricultural intensification and landscape change. Their responses to the
 landscape are inconsistent, which may be due to a taxonomic focus of
 studies that misses the traits that drive the differences in species
 responses to the landscape. In this study, we investigated how
 coccinellids in alfalfa respond to environmental variables in terms of
 their traits. We examined five traits: body size, activity period, habitat
 specialization, spatial ubiquity and dispersal habits, and analysed how
 single and multiple traits (syndromes) are affected by local variables
 (aphid density), and landscape compositional (diversity of land uses) and
 configurational heterogeneity (edge density), at two spatial scales (500
 and 1500 m). The community weighted mean of all traits, except body size,
 was affected by landscape heterogeneity, mostly at the smaller spatial
 scale. Coccinellid communities break into two groups of trait syndromes in
 their response to landscape heterogeneity. Smaller species, uncommon in
 alfalfa, mostly native, were negatively associated with compositional and
 configurational heterogeneity at both spatial scales, while the remaining
 species were associated with increased landscape heterogeneity. This
 latter group of species splits into two groups at the smaller spatial
 scale, composed by large exotic and natives, distributed along a gradient
 of landscape configurational heterogeneity. The response of ladybeetles to
 landscape composition and configuration depends more on their traits than
 on their origin (native vs. exotics). These responses should be considered
 when designing policies for agricultural landscape management, depending
 on the conservation aims.
description: # Traits drive responses of aphidophagous coccinellids communities to
 landscape complexity Data files and variables There are four data files:
 DATA.500.cvs = is the untransformed data for environmental variables
 measured within a 500 m radius of sampled fields DATA.1500.cvs = is
 untransformed data for environmental variables measured within a 1500 m
 radius of sampled fields Traits.csv = Data of the traits for the 11
 coccinellid species found in the study. XYCOORD.csv = coordinates of each
 alfalfa field sampled. **DATA.500.csv** Untransformed data for
 environmental variables measured within a 500 m radius of sampled fields,
 showing de number of each sampled alfalfa field; the percentage of
 different cover types; variables of landscape heterogeneity; aphid
 density; community-weighted mean of coccinellid traits in each alfalfa
 field; and abundance of coccinellid species in each alfalfa field.
 Columns: Field = number of each alfalfa field where coccinellids were
 sampled alfa = alfalfa (%) orch = orchards (%) vine = vineyards (%) bare =
 bare ground (%) built = built-up area (%) water = water bodies (%) mato =
 matorral (%) grass = grasslands (%) crops = annual crops (%) woodl =
 woodlots (%) roads = roads (%) hedge = hedges (%) semiurb = semi-urban (%)
 shdi = Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) of land uses ed = edge density
 (total edge/total area) Aphids = average aphid density CWM.size =
 community-weighted mean of body size CWM.generalist = community-weighted
 mean of habitat generalization CWM.ubiquity = community-weighted mean of
 ubiquity CWM.active.peak = community-weighted mean of activity peak
 CWM.peak.length = community-weighted mean of peak length CWM.pitfall =
 community-weighted mean of tendency to ground-dispersal CWM.flight =
 community-weighted mean of tendency to aerial-dispersal CWM.common =
 community-weighted mean of commonness Ad.ang = Adalia angulifera Ad.def =
 Adalia deficiens C.sang = Cycloneda sanguinea E.chil = Eriopis chilensis
 E.esch = Eriopis eschscholtzii H.conv = Hippodamia convergens H.sph =
 Hyperaspis sphaeridioides H.vari = Hippodamia variegata Ha.axy = Harmonia
 axyridis S.bicol = Scymnus bicolor S.loew = Scymnus loewii
 **DATA.1500.csv** Untransformed data for environmental variables measured
 within 1500 m radius of sampled fields, showing de number of each sampled
 alfalfa field; the percentage of different cover types; variables of
 landscape heterogeneity; aphid density; community-weighted mean of
 coccinellid traits in each alfalfa field; and abundance of coccinellid
 species in each alfalfa field. Columns: Field = number of each alfalfa
 field where coccinellids were sampled alfa = alfalfa (%) orch = orchards
 (%) vine = vineyards (%) bare = bare ground (%) built = built-up area (%)
 water = water bodies (%) mato = matorral (%) grass = grasslands (%) crops
 = annual crops (%) woodl = woodlots (%) roads = roads (%) hedge = hedges
 (%) semiurb = semi-urban (%) shdi = Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI) of land
 uses ed = edge density ( total edge/total area) Aphids = average aphid
 density CWM.size = community-weighted mean of body size CWM.generalist =
 community-weighted mean of habitat generalization CWM.ubiquity =
 community-weighted mean of ubiquity CWM.active.peak = community-weighted
 mean of activity peak CWM.peak.length = community-weighted mean of peak
 length CWM.pitfall = community-weighted mean of tendency to
 ground-dispersal CWM.flight = community-weighted mean of tendency to
 aerial-dispersal CWM.common = community-weighted mean of commonness Ad.ang
 = Adalia angulifera Ad.def = Adalia deficiens C.sang = Cycloneda sanguinea
 E.chil = Eriopis chilensis E.esch = Eriopis eschscholtzii H.conv =
 Hippodamia convergens H.sph = Hyperaspis sphaeridioides H.vari =
 Hippodamia variegata Ha.axy = Harmonia axyridis S.bicol = Scymnus bicolor
 S.loew = Scymnus loewii **TRAITS.csv** Data on the traits for the 11
 coccinellid species found in the study. Traits are Generalization,
 Ubiquity, Activity peak, Aerial dispersal, Size, and Commonness.
 Generalization = refers to habitat generalization and is calculated as the
 inverse of the coefficient of variation (CV) of the density of each
 species across land use types. Ubiquity = is the Proportion of samples
 each species was present in 23 alfalfa fields sampled across spring,
 summer, and autumn 2011 and 2012 Activity peak = categorical, with early =
 only active at the beginning of the season; late = only active at the end
 of the season; long-active = active throughout the season Aerial dispersal
 = Ratio of individuals of each species collected in flight-interception
 traps relative to sweep nets Ground dispersal = Ratio of individuals of
 each species collected in pitfall traps relative to sweep nets Size = Body
 length (mm) from the head to the tip of the abdomen Commonness = rare is
 fewer than 3 individuals per sampling; common is greater than 3
 individuals per sampling. **XYCOORD.csv** Coordinates of each alfalfa
 field sampled. Columns: Field = number of each alfalfa field where
 coccinellids were sampled Season = 2020-2021; 2021-2022 x-coord = latitude
 y-coord = longitude