DOI: 10.5061/dryad.08kprr57z
title: Ant abundance in pitfall traps, subterranean traps, arboreal traps, and Winkler samples at the Territory Wildlife Park experiment

description: Fire is a powerful tool for conservation management at a landscape scale,
 but a rigorous evidence base is often lacking for understanding its
 impacts on biodiversity in different biomes. Fire-induced changes to
 habitat openness have been identified as an underlying driver of responses
 of faunal communities, including ants. However, most studies of the
 impacts of fire on ant communities consider only epigaeic (foraging on the
 soil surface) species, which may not reflect the responses of species
 inhabiting other vertical strata. Here, we examine how responses of ant
 communities vary among vertical strata in a highly fire-prone biome. We
 use a long-term field experiment to quantify the effects of fire on the
 abundance, richness, and composition of ant assemblages of four vertical
 strata (subterranean, leaf litter, epigaeic, and arboreal) in an
 Australian tropical savanna. We first document the extent to which each
 stratum harbours distinct assemblages. We then assess how the assemblage
 of each stratum responds to three fire-related predictors: fire frequency,
 fire activity, and vegetation cover. Each stratum harboured a
 distinct ant assemblage and showed different responses to fire.
 Leaf-litter and epigaeic ants were most sensitive to fire because it
 directly affects their microhabitats, but they showed contrasting negative
 and positive responses, respectively. Subterranean ants were the least
 sensitive because of the insulating effects of soil. Our results
 show that co-occurring species of the same taxonomic group differ in the
 strength and direction of their response to fire depending on the stratum
 they inhabit. As such, effective fire management for biodiversity
 conservation requires consideration of species in all vertical strata.
description: This dataset consists of ant sampling done in 2021-2022, using
 pitfall traps (n = 855), arboreal traps (n = 855), subterranean traps (n =
 1664), and leaf litter extractions (n = 168). These traps were deployed
 over three sampling events, in 19 plots at the Territory Wildlife Park
 fire experiment, near Darwin, Australia. The experiment consists of 18
 1-ha plots in a randomised block design, with six burning treatments in
 each of the three blocks (Figure S1). The treatments commenced in 2004 and
 are: burnt early (first week of June) in the dry season each one (E1), two
 (E2), three (E3), and five (E5) years; burnt late (first week of October)
 in the dry season every two years (L2); and unburnt (U). We also include
 fire activity data, which consists of the cumulated fire intensity
 experienced by a plot during the experiment, and woody cover data obtained
 with ground-based lidar scans.
description: # Ant abundance in pitfall traps, subterranean traps, arboreal traps, and
 Winkler samples at the Territory Wildlife Park experiment
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.08kprr57z](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.08kprr57z) This dataset contains ant species abundance collected in subterranean traps, leaf litter extractions, pitfall traps, and arboreal traps in the 18 plots of a fire experiment in Australia. For each method, there were 3 collection events, done between 2021-2022. All traps were placed in a grid at the center of a plot, consisting of three transects with 5 trapping stations each (5 x 3). Stations were separated by a distance of 10m. The total sampling effort was 855 pitfall traps, 855 arboreal traps, 1664 subterranean traps, and 168 leaf litter extractions (with Winkler sacs). The site is a tropical savanna, where experimental fire began in 2004. ## Description of the data and file structure Following is a description of each column in the dataset. * plot: the identity of the plot in which the trap was placed. * specimen_code: the unique identifier for each trap species record. * method: the type of collection method used to obtain the species in the selected row. * trap_nb: the trap number for a method and a plot. * transect_nb: the transect number for that trap (3 transects per plot). * month: the month of sampling for that unique trap * year: the year of sampling for that unique trap * genus: the ant genus of that species' row * epithet: the ant epithet of that species' row * species: the ant species name * abundance: the abundance of that species in that trap (capped at 50 individuals). * treatment: the fire treatment of the plot. Experimental burning commenced in 2004. The treatments are burnt early (first week of June) in the dry season each one (E1), two (E2), three (E3), and five (E5) years; burnt late (first week of October) in the dry season every two years (L2); and unburnt (U). * strata: the vertical stratum associated with this species' row * block: the experimental block in which the plot was. * sum.fire.activity: cumulated fire intensity experienced by that plot at that time since the start of the fire experiment (kW/m). * cov_gr1m: woody cover (%) from 1 m upwards in the plot as measured by terrestrial lidar scans. * LL_vol: leaf litter volume (ml) collected in a transect for a Winkler extraction. Note that "NA" means not applicable. For instance, a trap with no ants would be recorded with a "0" for abundance but would have "NA" under the column species because none were found in that trap. ## Sharing/Access information NA