DOI: 10.5061/dryad.q57h0
title: Data from: Geographic mosaic of plant evolution: extrafloral nectary variation mediated by ant and herbivore assemblages

description: Herbivory is an ecological process that is known to generate different
 patterns of selection on defensive plant traits across populations.
 Studies on this topic could greatly benefit from the general framework of
 the Geographic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution (GMT). Here, we hypothesize
 that herbivory represents a strong pressure for extrafloral nectary (EFN)
 bearing plants, with differences in herbivore and ant visitor assemblages
 leading to different evolutionary pressures among localities and
 ultimately to differences in EFN abundance and function. In this study, we
 investigate this hypothesis by analyzing 10 populations of Anemopaegma
 album (30 individuals per population) distributed through ca. 600 km of
 Neotropical savanna and covering most of the geographic range of this
 plant species. A common garden experiment revealed a phenotypic
 differentiation in EFN abundance, in which field and experimental plants
 showed a similar pattern of EFN variation among populations. We also did
 not find significant correlations between EFN traits and ant abundance,
 herbivory and plant performance across localities. Instead, a more complex
 pattern of ant–EFN variation, a geographic mosaic, emerged throughout the
 geographical range of A. album. We modeled the functional relationship
 between EFNs and ant traits across ant species and extended this
 phenotypic interface to characterize local situations of phenotypic
 matching and mismatching at the population level. Two distinct types of
 phenotypic matching emerged throughout populations: (1) a population with
 smaller ants (Crematogaster crinosa) matched with low abundance of EFNs;
 and (2) seven populations with bigger ants (Camponotus species) matched
 with higher EFN abundances. Three matched populations showed the highest
 plant performance and narrower variance of EFN abundance, representing
 potential plant evolutionary hotspots. Cases of mismatched and matched
 populations with the lowest performance were associated with abundant and
 highly detrimental herbivores. Our findings provide insights on the
 ecology and evolution of plant–ant guarding systems, and suggest new
 directions to research on facultative mutualistic interactions at wide
 geographic scales.
description: 1_efns_herbivory_variationEFN traits and foliar herbivory per plant in each population of Anemopaegma album (around 300 individuals from 10 populations).2_nectar_variationNectar descriptors per plant in each population of Anemopaegma album.3_ant_assemblageAnt assemblages feeding on extrafloral nectaries in each population of Anemopaegma album (around 300 individuals from 10 populations). Dataset was sampled at two different periods: t0 and t1.4_ant_indexMorpho-functional descriptors of each ant species based on the EFN phenotypes, herbivory, ant size and ant recruitment.5_across_populationPlant, ant and herbivorous descriptors per population (e.g. average abundance of EFNs, community-level ant traits) (N = 10 populations).6_XY_gpsLatitude and longitude of each population of Anemopaegma album (N = 10 populations).