Small Mammal Exclosure Study (SMES) Ant Data from Chihuahuan Desert Grassland and Shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1995-2005)

Animal consumers have important roles in ecosystems, determining plant species composition and structure, regulating rates of plant production and nutrients, and altering soil structure and chemistry. This is data for numbers and species of seed harvester ant nests mapped from each of the SMES study plots. Seed harvester ant nests were mapped on each of the study plots once each year in the autumn. Ant nest maps were drawn on to pre-designed plot diagrams. Each nest was located on the diagram in reference to one of the 36 vegetation quadrat marker posts. The distance from the post, direction from the post, and species name were plotted on the map diagram. Data such as total numbers of nests of each ant species, and spatial arrangement of nests, were then taken from the diagram maps. The following question was asked: Do small mammals interact with other herbivore and granivore consumers enough to affect the species composition and abundances of other consumers such as ants?

动物消费者在生态系统中扮演重要角色，它们决定植物物种的组成与结构，调节植物生产力与养分循环速率，并改变土壤结构与化学性质。本数据集记录了SMES研究样地中各地块种子收获蚁巢的数量与物种信息。每年秋季，研究人员会对每个试验样地的种子收获蚁巢进行一次定位绘图。蚁巢分布图绘制在预先设计的样地示意图上，每个蚁巢通过参考36个植被样方（quadrat）标记桩之一确定位置，并在图上标注出与标记桩的距离、方向及蚁巢物种名称。随后，从分布图中提取各蚁种的总巢数、蚁巢空间分布格局等数据。研究问题如下：小型哺乳动物与其他草食动物及食谷动物消费者的相互作用是否足以影响蚂蚁等其他消费者的物种组成与多度？