DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cvdncjt9n
title: Data from: Urbanization strengthens vertical stratification of ant nutrient preferences in a temperate forest ecosystem

description: Resource and nutrient availability varies spatially and influences animal
 foraging patterns. Under the compensation hypothesis, animals should
 preferentially forage for the most limiting nutrient in the environment.
 Animal nutrient preferences have been well studied in the tropics, where
 terrestrial and arboreal fauna are clearly differentiated and limited by
 different nutrients. In temperate forests, vertical stratification of the
 fauna may be less pronounced and its role in foraging ecology is poorly
 understood. Here, we examine nutrient preference patterns over a vertical
 gradient in temperate forests and nearby urban centers in North Carolina,
 USA. Using a bait-choice experiment and novel bait design, we measured ant
 community nutrient preferences in the canopy and on the ground of 83 trees
 across 14 sites and assessed ant diversity and community composition. Ant
 diversity did not differ across the vertical strata or habitat types, but
 species turnover altered community composition to create four distinct
 assemblages. In temperate forests, ants did not prefer a particular
 nutrient in either stratum, likely due to extensive foraging across
 strata. In urban habitats, however, ant nutrient preferences matched
 patterns well known from tropical systems: arboreal animals preferred
 protein, while terrestrial animals preferred carbohydrates. Rather than
 stratum-specific nutrient limitations, however, we attribute the
 differences in urban preference patterns to changes in native species’
 foraging intensity and the addition of uniquely urban species with
 specific nutrient preferences. These results underscore the necessity of
 testing ecological hypotheses across biomes and suggest that urbanization
 may produce established ecological patterns via novel mechanisms.
description: # Data from: Urbanization strengthens vertical stratification of ant
 nutrient preferences in a temperate forest ecosystem
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cvdncjt9n](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cvdncjt9n) ### bait\_unpool.csv This dataset was used for the diversity and community composition analyses and contains the following information for each individual sample collected: | **column** | **detail** | | :------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | sample\_code | unique code identifying each individual bait vial collected; consists of site-tree-bait station-nutrient-round (1 for 4hr or 2 for 8hr) | | specimen\_code | unique code identifying each pinned individual | | genus\_species | genus and species of the pinned individual from that sample | | ants\_present | 1 = ants collected, 0 = no ants present | | site\_type | habitat from which the sample was collected; urban/forest | | site | site at which sample was collected; values are arbitrarily assigned identifiers for each site | | tree | tree at which sample was collected; AR = Acer rubrum, QA = Quercus alba; numbers are arbitrarily assigned within a site | | tree\_species | genus and species of the tree from which the sample was collected | | bait\_station | bait station at which each sample was collected; GB1 = 5m N of tree, GB2 = 5m S of tree; AB1 & AB2 = arboreal baits | | stratum | vertical stratum from which sample was collected; arboreal/terrestrial | | nutrient | P = protein bait, C = carbohydrate bait | | round | round of sampling when sample was collected; 1 = 4hr after placement, 2 = 8hr after placement | | tree\_code | unique code for each individual tree; site-tree | | station\_code | unique code for each bait station; site-tree-bait station | | bait\_code | unique code for each nutrient at each bait station; site-tree-bait station-nutrient | ### bait\_biomass.csv This dataset was used for nutrient preference analyses and consists of the following information for each individual bait sample collected: | **column** | **detail** | | :------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | sample\_code | unique code identifying each individual bait vial collected; consists of site-tree-bait station-nutrient-round (1 for 4hr or 2 for 8hr) | | genus\_species | genus and species of the ant(s) collected from that sample  | | weight\_pin | biomass (mg) of the ants of that species collected from that sample, including the calculated biomass of any pinned individuals of the species from that sample | | ants\_present | 1 = ants collected, 0 = no ants present | | site\_type | habitat from which the sample was collected; urban/forest | | site | site at which sample was collected; values are arbitrarily assigned identifiers for each site | | tree | tree at which sample was collected; AR = Acer rubrum, QA = Quercus alba; numbers are arbitrarily assigned within a site | | tree\_species | genus and species of the tree from which the sample was collected | | bait\_station | bait station at which each sample was collected; GB1 = 5m N of tree, GB2 = 5m S of tree, AB1 & AB2 = arboreal baits | | stratum | vertical stratum from which sample was collected; arboreal/terrestrial | | nutrient | P = protein bait, C = carbohydrate bait | | tree\_code | unique code for each individual tree; site-tree | | strat\_code | unique code for each stratum at a tree; site-tree-stratum | | stratnut\_code | unique code for each nutrient with each stratum at a tree; site-tree-stratum-nutrient | | station\_code | unique code for each bait station; site-tree-bait station | | bait\_code | unique code for each nutrient at each bait station; site-tree-bait station-nutrient | ### bait\_heights.csv This dataset was used for analysis of variation in bait heights and consists of the following information for each bait station from which we collected data:  | **column** | **detail** | | :------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | station\_code | unique code for each bait station; site-tree-bait station | | height\_m | height (m) of bait station | | site\_type | habitat in which bait station was installed; urban/forest | | site | site at which bait station was installed; values are arbitrarily assigned identifiers of each site | | tree | tree at which bait station was installed; AR = Acer rubrum, QA = Quercus alba; numbers are arbitrarily assigned within a site | | tree\_sp | tree species of tree in which bait was installed; maple = Acer rubrum, oak = Quercus alba | | bait\_station | bait station for which height was measured; GB1 = 5m N of tree, GB2 = 5m S of tree, AB1 & AB2 = arboreal baits | | tree\_code | unique code for each individual tree; site-tree | #### Code for all analyses can be found in the R script: Kirchneretal\_urbanization\_nutrientpreference.R This R script contains all of the annotated code used to clean, analyze, and visualize these data as described in the manuscript titled "Urbanization strengthens vertical stratification of ant nutrient preferences in a temperate forest ecosystem*"* and is available on Zenodo.