Data from: Nest boxes as microhabitats supporting diverse arthropod communities

These datasets document arthropod communities associated with bird nesting
boxes across eight woodland sites in England and Wales, and their
relationship to nest occupancy and breeding performance of the European
pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Arthropods were sampled from a total
of 120 nest boxes during the breeding season. Unoccupied boxes were
sampled using modified sticky traps to capture free-living arthropods,
while occupied boxes were sampled using NaCl flotation to extract
arthropods from nesting material. Specimens were identified to family
level where possible. The arthropod dataset includes records for 3,634
individual specimens representing 82 arthropod families, with associated
metadata on sampling method, nest box occupancy status, site, and box
identity. Summary metrics such as abundance, family richness, Shannon
diversity, and functional group classification can be derived from these
data. A second dataset contains breeding data for Ficedula hypoleuca,
including nest occupancy, clutch size, hatching success, fledging success,
and overall breeding outcome for boxes monitored during the same sampling
period. These data allow linkage between arthropod community
characteristics and avian reproductive metrics at the nest-box level.
Together, these datasets enable analyses of how nest box occupancy
influences arthropod community structure, comparisons between occupied and
unoccupied boxes, and assessments of whether variation in arthropod
abundance, diversity, or functional composition is associated with bird
breeding performance. The data are suitable for reuse in studies of nest
box ecology, nidicolous arthropod communities, host–associate
interactions, and the broader ecological consequences of artificial
nesting structures.

本数据集记录了英格兰与威尔士8处林地中与鸟类人工巢箱相关的节肢动物（arthropod）群落，及其与欧洲斑鹟（Ficedula hypoleuca）巢箱占有率和繁殖表现的关联。研究于繁殖季从总计120个人工巢箱中采集节肢动物样本：未被占用的巢箱采用改良型粘捕器采集自由活动的节肢动物，而已占用的巢箱则通过氯化钠（NaCl）浮集法从巢材中提取节肢动物。所有样本尽可能鉴定至科阶元。节肢动物数据集包含3634个个体标本的记录，隶属于82个节肢动物科，附带采样方法、巢箱占用状态、采样位点及巢箱标识等关联元数据。可从该数据集衍生出个体丰度、科丰富度、香农多样性（Shannon diversity）指数及功能群分类等统计指标。第二份数据集包含同期监测的欧洲斑鹟繁殖数据，涵盖巢箱占用情况、窝卵数、孵化成功率、出飞成功率及整体繁殖结局。该数据集可实现巢箱尺度下节肢动物群落特征与鸟类繁殖指标的关联分析。两份数据集共同支持三类研究方向：巢箱占用对节肢动物群落结构的影响、已占用与未占用巢箱的群落对比，以及节肢动物丰度、多样性或功能组成的变异是否与鸟类繁殖表现相关。本数据集适用于人工巢箱生态学、巢栖（nidicolous）节肢动物群落、宿主-伴生生物互作（host–associate interactions），以及人工巢箱设施更广泛生态效应相关的各类研究。