Data from Queiroz et al Ant diversity in tropical biomes can be reduced by half during dry seasons: a meta-analysis investigating the effect of seasonality on ants.xlsx

Data from Queiroz et al <strong>Ant diversity in tropical biomes can be reduced by half during dry seasons: a meta-analysis investigating the effect of seasonality on ants</strong> Abstract Tropical studies present seasonal variation of insect richness, density, and changes in species composition. However, responses of assemblages to climate change associated with seasons may not follow the same patterns across ecosystems due to biotic and abiotic factors (e.g., resources and conditions). These idiosyncratic responses might be particularly true in Brazilian territory, a country with various environments and vegetation types across a vast geographical range that harbors one of the most diverse ant faunas in the world. This study addressed the relationship between ant diversity and seasonal variation using published data collected in Brazilian territory. Specifically, we tested the effect of the main seasons on ant abundance and richness. Seasonal patterns of diversity are poorly explored for ants in Brazil (53 from 416 studies published between 2000 and 2018). These studies were developed mainly in the Atlantic Forest biome, collected ants with Pitfall traps as a sampling method, and covered the soil/litter stratum. Considering all papers, doing a simple “vote-counting” (by comparisons of the number of significant results), authors find similar ant abundance, richness, and species composition between seasons, as often proposed in literature. However, when we performed a meta-analysis, we observed a clear pattern of seasonal variation, with higher ant abundance and richness in the wet/summer season. The low number of sampling events and years among the studies are the main methodological limitations preventing broader conclusions. Our systematic review, however, reveals the seasonality effect in reducing ant diversity on the dry season, especially in the Cerrado. Additionally, we point out that differences between biomes also indicate the need to explore seasonal effects among vegetation types in each biome.

本数据集源自Queiroz等人的研究：《热带生物群系的蚂蚁多样性在旱季可减半——一项探究季节变动对蚂蚁影响的元分析（meta-analysis）》。摘要：热带地区的昆虫类群丰富度、种群密度及物种组成均存在季节波动。然而，受生物与非生物因子（如资源可获得性与环境条件）影响，不同生态系统中蚂蚁类群对季节相关气候变化的响应模式未必统一。这一特异性响应在巴西境内尤为显著：该国地理跨度广阔，生境与植被类型多样，孕育了全球最为丰富的蚂蚁区系之一。本研究依托巴西境内已发表的观测数据，探讨蚂蚁多样性与季节变动的关联，重点检验主要季节对蚂蚁多度与物种丰富度的影响。目前针对巴西境内蚂蚁的季节多样性模式研究仍较为匮乏：2000至2018年间发表的416项相关研究中，仅53项涉及该主题。此类研究主要集中于大西洋森林（Atlantic Forest）生物群系，采用陷阱诱捕法（Pitfall traps）采集蚂蚁样本，调查层级多为土壤/枯落物层。针对全部文献开展简单的“计数投票法”（即通过比较显著结果的数量）时，研究者发现不同季节间的蚂蚁多度、丰富度及物种组成并无显著差异，这与此前多数文献的结论一致。但本研究通过元分析却观测到清晰的季节变动模式：蚂蚁多度与丰富度在湿季/夏季显著更高。现有研究中采样事件与采样年限偏少，是限制得出更普适性结论的主要方法学局限。不过本系统综述（systematic review）揭示了旱季会降低蚂蚁多样性的季节效应，这一现象在塞拉多（Cerrado）生物群系中尤为突出。此外，不同生物群系间的差异也表明，有必要针对各生物群系内的不同植被类型进一步探究季节效应的影响。