DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bh2rc50
title: Data from: High specialization and limited structural change in plant‐herbivore networks along a successional chronosequence in tropical montane forest

description: Secondary succession is well‐understood, to the point of being predictable
 for plant communities, but the successional changes in plant‐herbivore
 interactions remains poorly explored. This is particularly true for
 tropical forests, despite the increasing importance of early successional
 stages in tropical landscapes. Deriving expectations from successional
 theory, we examine properties of plant‐herbivore interaction networks
 while accounting for host phylogenetic structure along a succession
 chronosequence in montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea. We present one
 of the most comprehensive successional investigations of interaction
 networks, equating to &gt;40 person years of field sampling, and one
 of the few focused on montane tropical forests. We use a series of nine
 0.2ha forest plots across young secondary, mature secondary and primary
 montane forest, sampled almost completely for woody plants and larval leaf
 chewers (Lepidoptera), using forest felling. These networks comprised of
 12,357 plant‐herbivore interactions and were analysed using quantitative
 network metrics, a phylogenetically controlled host‐use index and a
 qualitative network beta diversity measure. Network structural changes
 were low and specialisation metrics surprisingly similar throughout
 succession, despite high network beta diversity. Herbivore abundance was
 greatest in the earliest stages, and hosts here had more species‐rich
 herbivore assemblages, presumably reflecting higher palatability due to
 lower defensive investment. All herbivore communities were highly
 specialised, using a phylogenetically narrow set of hosts, while host
 phylogenetic diversity itself decreased throughout the chronosequence.
 Relatively high phylogenetic diversity, and thus high diversity of plant
 defenses, in early succession forest may result in herbivores feeding on
 fewer hosts than expected. Successional theory, derived primarily from
 temperate systems, is limited in predicting tropical host‐herbivore
 interactions. All succession stages harbour diverse and unique interaction
 networks, which together with largely similar network structures and
 consistent host use patterns, suggests general rules of assembly may apply
 to these systems.
description: Quantitative
 Plant-Herbivore interaction matricesNine txt files with
 quantitative interaction matrices. Files ABCD-Primary forest plots,
 HJK-Mature secondary forest plots and FG- Young secondary forest
 plotsDATA_MATRICES.zipYawan_Tree_PhylogenyA Newick file of the Host Tree Phylogeny used for analysis of host community phylogenetic diversity and Distance Based Specialisation Index (DSI)Yawan_Phylogeny.trePlant Community Data and accompanying environmental data used in Ordination analysisPlant Community Data from nine 0.2ha plots. Plots ABCD-Primary forest, HJK- Mature Secondary Forest and FG- Young Secondary Forest. Data are from plants above 5cm dbh. Values represent individuals.Ecography Ordination Plant Communtiy Data.xlsx