DOI: 10.5061/dryad.pvmcvdns3
title: The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance, foraging performance, and competition in cavity dwelling ants

description: Human disturbance including rapid urbanization and increased temperatures
 can have profound effects on the ecology of local populations. Eusocial
 insects, such as ants, have adapted to stressors of increasing temperature
 and urbanization, however these evolutionary responses are not consistent
 among populations across geographic space. Here we asked how urbanization
 and incubation temperature influence critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and
 various ecologically relevant behaviors in three ant species in urban and
 rural locations in Worcester, MA, USA. We did this by incubating colonies
 of three species of cavity dwelling ant (Aphaenogaster picea, Tapinoma
 sessile, and Temnothorax longispinosus) from 2 habitat types (Rural and
 Urban), for 60-days at multiple temperatures. We found that incubation
 temperature, urbanization and species of ant all significantly affected
 overall colony critical thermal maximum. We also found that recruitment
 time, colonization time and defense response were significantly affected
 by incubation temperature and varied between species of ant, while
 recruitment and colonization time were additionally affected by
 urbanization. These variable changes in performance and competitive traits
 across species suggest that responses to urbanization and shifting
 temperatures are not universal across species. Changes in behavioral
 responses caused by urbanization may disrupt biodiversity, creating
 unusual competitive environments as a consequence of natural adaptations
 and cause both direct and indirect mechanisms for which human disturbance
 can lead to local species extinction.  
description: # The effect of urbanization and temperature on thermal tolerance,
 foraging performance, and competition in cavity dwelling ants
 Human disturbance
 including rapid urbanization and increased temperatures can have profound
 effects on the ecology of local populations. Eusocial insects, such as
 ants, have adapted to stressors of increasing temperature and
 urbanization, however these evolutionary responses are not consistent
 among populations across geographic space. Here we asked how urbanization
 and incubation temperature influence critical thermal maximum
 (CT<sub>max</sub>) and various ecologically relevant behaviors
 in three ant species in urban and rural locations in Worcester, MA, USA.
 We did this by incubating colonies of three species of cavity dwelling ant
 (*Aphaenogaster picea, Tapinoma sessile,* and *Temnothorax longispinosus*)
 from 2 habitat types (Rural and Urban), for 60-days at multiple
 temperatures. Included here are the .csv files with data from the project
 and r code for the analysis. DATA & FILE OVERVIEW 1. File List: A)
 AcornAntE_E_2023.R B) Ants_Final_CoEdgeACT_RR.csv C)
 Colony_Final_CoEdge_RR.csv D) EE_Mantel_Test_AP_2.csv E)
 EE_Mantel_Test_TL_2.csv F) EE_Mantel_TS_2.csv
 \#########################################################################
 DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: AcornAntE_E_2023.R This is the R code used
 for the statistical analysis of the data within files below #####
 DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Ants_Final_CoEdgeACT_RR.csv Data File
 Description: Individual Ant performance assay data Variable List: * Ant:
 Individual Ant ID * Col: Colony Number * Species: Ant Species * Collection
 Location: Site where ant colony was collected * us: Urbanization Status *
 Incubation date: Date when incubation of colony began * Incubation
 Temperature: Temperature in Celsius of Incubator * aggression: Defense
 Index Score * CTmax: Critical thermal maximum of ant ##### DATA-SPECIFIC
 INFORMATION FOR: Colony_Final_CoEdge_RR.csv Data File Description: Colony
 level performance assay data Variable List: * colony: Colony Number *
 Species: Ant Species * Nativity Status: Whether ant species is native *
 Colony Type: Queen present or absent from colony fragment at collection *
 Collection Location: Site where ant colony was collected * Urbanization:
 Urbanization Status * Incubation date: Date when incubation of colony
 began * Incubation: Temperature in Celsius of Incubator * crmc:
 Colonization metric corrected for colony size * rr: Recruitment Rate *
 rr1: Recruitment Rate+1 * AI: Average defense index score per colony *
 CTmax: Critical thermal maximum of ant ##### DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION
 FOR: EE_Mantel_Test_AP_2.csv Data File Description: Mantel test data for
 Aphaenogaster picea ants Variable List: * Site: Collection Location * DF:
 Average Defense Index Score * cc: Average uncorrected colonization rate
 score * rr: Average recruitment rate score * Lat: Latitude of Site * Long:
 Longitude of Site * Ctmax: Average critical thermal maximum score * crcm:
 Average colonization rate score corrected by colony size #####
 DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: EE_Mantel_Test_TL_2.csv Data File
 Description: Mantel test data for Temnothorax longispinosus ants Variable
 List: * Site: Collection Location * AG: Average Defense Index Score * cc:
 Average uncorrected colonization rate score * rr: Average recruitment rate
 score * Lat: Latitude of Site * Long: Longitude of Site * Ctmax: Average
 critical thermal maximum score * crcm: Average colonization rate score
 corrected by colony size ##### DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR:
 EE_Mantel_TS_2.csv Data File Description: Mantel test data for Tapinoma
 sessile ants Variable List: * Site: Collection Location * AG: Average
 Defense Index Score * Ctmax: Average critical thermal maximum score * rr:
 Average recruitment rate score * Lat: Latitude of Site * Long: Longitude
 of Site * crcm: Average colonization rate score corrected by colony size