DOI: 10.5061/dryad.zw3r228hj
title: Data from: Temporal distribution of endophytic and exophytic insect guilds responds to host plant phenology in the Brazilian Savannah

description: Niche theory predicts high specialization in species-rich environments
 such as neotropics, where plant-herbivore interactions are ubiquitous in
 all terrestrial systems. However, there is much to be explored on how
 different insect guilds respond to plant phenology in these specialized
 environments.  Using a Fabaceae-herbivore community as an
 ecological model, we evaluated how plant phenology affects the abundance
 and shapes the temporal distribution of exophytic (folivore chewers) and
 endophytic (seed chewers) insects. We tested the specialization
 hypothesis, predicting insect species on only one or a few host plants,
 with a seasonal pattern of occurrence, many rare and few abundant species.
 Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between plant phenology and
 environmental factors (temperature and precipitation). We conducted
 fieldwork with five species and 97 individuals of Fabaceae in Brazilian
 Savannah and performed an insect-rearing study in the laboratory. We found
 an immediately synchronized relationship between endophytic insects and
 plant phenology in the dry season, whereas exophytic were throughout the
 year. Only six species from the exophytic guild, out of a total of 87
 species for both guilds, fed on more than one host plant, showing a
 specialized network. Endophytic herbivores are more abundant, ephemeral,
 and predictable than exophytic ones. We also found a negative relationship
 between fruiting and precipitation and a positive relationship between new
 leaves and temperature and precipitation. Our study shows that the
 temporal distribution of insect-herbivore guilds responds to plant
 phenology. In a scenario of global warming with effects on the annual
 precipitation, endophytic insects are most vulnerable to local extinction
 due to temporal changes in plant phenology than the exophytic ones.
description: The study was performed in a Brazilian Cerrado area of the Clube
 Caça e Pesca Itororó (CCPIU) in Uberlândia city, southeastern Brazil
 (18°59ʹS, 48°17ʹW). There are two main phytophysiognomies of the savanna
 formation, the sensu stricto cerrado and the Vereda (Silva et al., 2022),
 a swampy area that crosses the reserve. Herbaceous plants dominate local
 vegetation with some trees ranging between 2 and 8 m tall. The climate in
 the region is markedly seasonal, characterized by a wet (October to April)
 and a dry season (May to September) (see Sousa-Lopes et al., 2016). The
 monthly mean temperature during the study period, from October 2016 to
 September 2017, ranged from 19 (July) to 24.9°C (October), and 80% of the
 precipitation was concentrated in the wet season (INMET 2019; Fig. 2). We
 used preexistent trails of CCPIU to locate all plants evaluated in this
 study. Visual inspections were carried out monthly from
 October 2016 to September 2017 on 97 randomly tagged individuals of
 <em>A. humilis </em>(n= 20),<em> B. rufa </em>(n=
 20), <em>C. cathartica </em>(n= 17), <em>M.
 setosa</em> var. <em>paludosa</em> (n= 20) and
 <em>S. polyphyllum </em>(n= 20). In the randomization process,
 we chose a pre-existing trail in the study area and marked the plants
 found of the previously selected species. From 08 am to 06 pm, we
 carefully inspected all plant structures, i.e. leaves, flower buds,
 flowers, and fruits, searching for insects for 30 minutes divided into two
 sessions per month (totaling 582 hours of observation in the year). As
 soon as we found insects, specimens of each species were carefully
 collected with a brush or voile net and then placed individually into
 transparent plastic pots (500 ml). Pots were then labeled with information
 about the host plant, plant structure, and date and taken to the
 Behavioral Ecology and Interactions Laboratory at the Federal University
 of Uberlândia (LECI-UFU), where insects were reared in laboratory
 conditions (12-h light and 20–30°C) and with the same plant structure
 where they were found. When available, we also collected leaves, flowers,
 and fruits to describe internal insect herbivores (n= 20 plant structures
 per plant, monthly). We consider true herbivores those insects that were
 found feeding on structures of plants, in the field or laboratory. The
 folivore endophytic insects were not sampled, possibly because when we
 took the leaves to the laboratory, they dried out and the plant tissues
 hardened and prevented the development of the immature ones, even when
 moistened cotton was added to the petiole of the leaves. On the other
 hand, the fruits removed from the plants contain water and nutrients
 stored in their seeds, which allows the insects to continue their
 development under laboratory conditions and be sampled. After rearing,
 insects were identified by specific taxonomic keys at the lowest taxonomic
 level possible (e.g. Rafael et al., 2012 for family and subfamilies) and
 with the help of specialists (e.g. for some Bruchinae, Dr. Cibele Stramare
 Ribeiro Costa). Specimens of insect herbivores were deposited at the
 LECI-UFU and Coleção Entomológica Padre Santiago Jesus Moure (DZUP),
 Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná.
 The number of new (not fully expanded) and mature leaves (fully
 expanded), flower buds, flowers, and fruits were also monthly recorded for
 each of the 97 previously tagged individual plants after searching for
 insects. We used the
 package <em>bipartite</em> from R 3.5.3 (R Development Core
 Team, 2019) to build the network through a matrix with values of the
 absolute frequencies (total abundance) for each herbivore on its host
 plant throughout the year. In that, the strength of interactions,
 calculated by frequencies of insect herbivores, indicates weak (the lines
 of the graph are narrower) or strong relationships (the lines of the graph
 are thicker) (Tylianakis et al., 2010). We calculated the degree of
 specialization of the network (H<sub>2</sub>’), whose values
 range from 0 (no specialization) to 1 (perfect specialization; Blüthgen et
 al., 2006). Modularity (Q) was calculated through the QuanBiMo method
 (Dormann & Strauss, 2014). This metric is characterized by the
 presence of species subsets more densely connected among themselves than
 with the other species in the network, also named modules/compartments
 (Dormann et al., 2009). The number of steps taken for the modularity
 analysis was 10x10<sup>5</sup>. The significance of metrics
 (H<sub>2</sub>’ and Q) was estimated through the comparison
 with 1000 null networks generated using the Patefield algorithm
 (Patefield, 1981). The circular analysis from Oriana
 (Kovach Computing Services, Pentraeth, Isle of Anglesey, UK) was used to
 describe the phenology and calculate the mean month for new leaves and
 fruits in the plant community. We used only new leaves and fruits because
 these phenophases were with higher insect herbivores abundance. The months
 were converted into angles (30° intervals) and combined with the
 respective values of each phenophase (Sousa-Lopes et al., 2016, 2019b).
 The monthly percentage of each phenophase was calculated by dividing the
 value of the phenophase in the month of interest by the sum of the values
 of the same phenophase throughout the year. Pearson correlations with time
 lag from one to three months, from October 2016 to September 2017, were
 run to test the effect of temperature and precipitation on the number of
 new leaves and fruits and new leaves on leaf chewers and fruits on seed
 chewers. These guilds of herbivores were chosen as they were the most
 abundant in this study. We also used the package
 <em>DataCombine</em> from R to perform the correlations. Data
 were previously checked as to their normality and variance with the
 Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, respectively. OriginPro (OriginLab,
 Northampton, Massachusetts, USA) was also used to perform
 figures. Field data were insert into thirteen tabs in
 the spreadsheet. The first shows the abundances of the herbivores
 (columns) and their host plants in the rows. N/A means not applicable (not
 found). The second shows the abundance of herbivores from October 2016 to
 September 2017 in the columns and the associated plants in the rows. The
 third elucidates the phenology of the host plants over time and the number
 of flower buds, flowers, fruits, young leaves and mature leaves for each
 of the study species. The fourth tab shows the phenology of all the
 plants, accumulated by phenophase on a monthly basis (columns). The fifth
 shows the temperature and rainfall data over the aforementioned period.
 The correponding units for the variables "average temperature"
 and "total monthly rainfall" are ºC and millimeters,
 respectively. The sixth to tenth tabs show the abundance of herbivores per
 host plant over time (columns), each tab containing an individual plant: 6
 - Andira, 7 - Bauhinia, 8 - Chamaecrista, 9 - Mimosa and 10 -
 Stryphnodendron. The eleventh tab shows the abundance of all the insects
 found over time (columns). The twelfth tab shows the abundance of insects
 that were considered tourists, i.e. they did not feed on any of the
 phenophases of the plants studied. The thirteenth tab shows the young leaf
 and fruit phenophases and the abundance of herbivores associated with them
 over time. Fruit data and the abundance of herbivores associated with this
 phenophase are available with the Log 10 transformation.
description: # Data from: Temporal distribution of endophytic and exophytic insect
 guilds responds to host plant phenology in the Brazilian Savannah
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zw3r228hj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.zw3r228hj) ## Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables There are thirteen tabs in the spreadsheet. The first shows the abundances of the herbivores (columns) and their host plants in the rows. N/A means not applicable (not found). The second shows the abundance of herbivores from October 2016 to September 2017 in the columns and the associated plants in the rows. The third elucidates the phenology of the host plants over time and the number of flower buds, flowers, fruits, young leaves and mature leaves for each of the study species. The fourth tab shows the phenology of all the plants, accumulated by phenophase on a monthly basis (columns). The fifth shows the temperature and rainfall data over the aforementioned period. The correponding units for the variables "average temperature" and "total monthly rainfall" are ºC and millimeters, respectively. The sixth to tenth tabs show the abundance of herbivores per host plant over time (columns), each tab containing an individual plant: 6 - Andira, 7 - Bauhinia, 8 - Chamaecrista, 9 - Mimosa and 10 - Stryphnodendron. The eleventh tab shows the abundance of all the insects found over time (columns). The twelfth tab shows the abundance of insects that were considered tourists, i.e. they did not feed on any of the phenophases of the plants studied. The thirteenth tab shows the young leaf and fruit phenophases and the abundance of herbivores associated with them over time. Fruit data and the abundance of herbivores associated with this phenophase are available with the Log 10 transformation. The file “Script_timelag.docx” contains the script used to carry out the correlation analysis. Pearson correlations were carried out with a time lag of one to three months, from October 2016 to September 2017, to test the effect of temperature and rainfall on the number of new leaves and fruits and new leaves in leaf chewers and fruits in seed chewers.  The file “Circular_estatistica_Fabaceae_.docx” was used to describe the phenology and calculate the mean month for new leaves and fruits in the plant community. We analyzed: Mean vector (µ), Month Length of mean vector (r), Standard error of mean, Circular standard deviation, Rayleigh test (Z) and Rayleigh test (p). The file “Supplementary_Material_TableS1.doc” contains a table with Host plant, taxonomic affiliation, guild, strength of interactions, and abundance of insect herbivores sampled on Fabaceae species in Brazilian Cerrado. In it, Ex. = external (exophytic) and In. = internal (endophytic). This file represents the observations of insects considered to be true herbivores. The supplementary tables were included in the related article (Sousa-Lopes & Del-Claro, 2024; Article DOI: 10.1111/een.13392) and we confirm that these data file may be used at any time and in any place, provided the source is cited. #### File: Data*InsectsonFabaceaeEcologicalEntomology2024\_11out24*.xls **Description:** Data on insect abundance, host plant phenology and environmental factors. ##### Variables * insect abundance * plant phenology * environmental data ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * N/A Data was derived from the following sources: * field study.