DOI: 10.5061/dryad.02v6wwqhk
title: Data from: The role of habitat simplification and seasonality in shaping interactions between ants, plants and herbivores in a Neotropical savanna

description: We investigated the role of chronic anthropogenic disturbances (CAD) in
 the outcomes of interactions between ants and extrafloral nectary-bearing
 (EFN-bearing) plants, with particular emphasis on the role of seasonal
 variation in shaping the responses of ants, herbivores, and plants. Thus,
 we focused not only on the responses of ants and herbivores to CAD, but
 also to phenological aspects of the trees, including the proportion of
 active nectaries, and leaf stages (sprouting, new, old). More
 specifically, we tested the following hypotheses: i) The amount of active
 EFNs will be greater in the rainy season than in the dry season, in new
 leaves than in old leaves, and in the cerrado area than in the pasture;
 ii) The richness, abundance, and diversity of ants (total and arboreal)
 will be greater in the rainy season than in the dry season, especially
 when there are new leaves and a greater proportion of active EFNs.
 Furthermore, we expect to find a greater diversity of ants in the cerrado
 than in the pasture; iii) The richness and abundance of herbivores, and
 consequently herbivory rates, will increase in the rainy season and in the
 preserved cerrado area, responding positively to the presence of new
 leaves, but negatively to the proportion of active EFNs and the occurrence
 of ants, especially arboreal ants.
description: # Data from: The role of habitat simplification and seasonality in shaping
 interactions between ants, plants and herbivores in a Neotropical savanna
 Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.02v6wwqhk](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.02v6wwqhk) ##
 Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables All
 missing data represented as NA. **File: monthly_data.csv** In this file,
 the data are organized by sampling event (data separated for each month):
 * **collect:** Indicates the sampling event to which the data correspond
 (one of the 12 sampling events conducted). - **environment:** Area where
 the data were collected (cerrado or pasture). * **season:** Season during
 which the sampling was conducted (dry or rainy). - **month:** Month in
 which the sampling occurred. * **plant:** *Qualea grandiflora* individuals
 sampled monthly. - **leaf_herbivory:** Percentage of leaf herbivory
 estimated for each plant monthly (leaf area removed by herbivorous
 insects). * **leaf_stage:** Predominant phenological stage in the canopy
 of each tree for each sampling month (budding, new, old, or absent). -
 **prop_active_efns:** Proportion of active EFNs (extrafloral nectaries)
 for each tree in each month. * **ant_richness:** Total number of ant
 species sampled monthly in each tree (includes all ants – arboreal and
 non-arboreal). - **ant_abundance:** Total number of ant individuals
 sampled monthly in each tree (includes all ants – arboreal and
 non-arboreal). * **herbivore_richness:** Number of herbivorous insect
 species sampled monthly in each tree. - **herbivore_abundance:** Number of
 herbivorous insect individuals sampled monthly in each tree. *
 **arboreal_ant_richness:** Number of arboreal ant species (those nesting
 and/or foraging predominantly in trees) sampled monthly in each tree. -
 **arboreal_ant_abundance:** Number of arboreal ant individuals sampled
 monthly in each tree. **File: data_EFNs.csv** * **environment:** Area
 where the data were collected (*cerrado* or *pasture*). - **season:**
 Season during which the data were collected (*dry* or *rainy)*. *
 **leaf_stage:** Phenological stage of the leaves (*new* or *old*) at the
 time of nectar collection. - **prop_active_efns:** Proportion of active
 EFNs per plant. * **plant:** Identification of the tree from which the
 data were collected. **File:** **data_Chewers.csv** * **plant:** sampled
 tree - **environment:** study area (cerrado or pasture) * **season:**
 season (dry or rainy) - **ab_chewers:** abundance of chewing herbivorous
 insects per tree in each season and environment * **r_chewers:** richness
 of chewing herbivorous insects per tree in each season and environment -
 **ab_ants:** total ant abundance per tree in each season and environment *
 **r_ants:** total ant richness per tree in each season and environment
 **File: data_ant_composition.csv**\ Data on the occurrence of each ant
 species across different seasons (dry and rainy) and environments (pasture
 and cerrado) **File: data_analyses.csv** In this file, the data are
 aggregated by season and environment (mean for each plant individual): *
 **environment:** Study area (cerrado or pasture) - **season:** Season (dry
 or rainy) * **leaf_stage:** Phenological stage of the leaves - **plant:**
 Sampled tree * **prop_active_efns:** Mean proportion of active EFNs
 (extrafloral nectaries) - **arboreal_ant_abundance:** Mean abundance of
 arboreal ants * **arboreal_ant_richness:** Mean richness of arboreal ants
 - **herbivore_abundance:** Mean abundance of herbivorous insects *
 **herbivore_richness:** Mean richness of herbivorous insects -
 **ant_richness:** Mean total ant richness * **ant_abundance:** Mean total
 ant abundance - **leaf_herbivory:** Mean leaf herbivory per sampled plant
 * **mean_leaf_herbivory:** Mean herbivory per sampled leaf **File:**
 **data_agrupated.csv** * **environment:** Area where the data were
 collected (cerrado or pasture) - **plot:** Sampled tree *
 **ant_richness:** Mean total ant richness sampled per tree -
 **herbivore_abundance:** Mean abundance of herbivorous insects sampled per
 tree * **arboreal_ant_richness:** Mean richness of arboreal ants sampled
 per tree - **herbivore_richness:** Mean richness of herbivorous insects
 sampled per tree ## Code/software The data can be viewed with recent
 versions of Excel or similar.