Data and R-script for: Chronic exposure to nicotine in diet enhances the lethal effect of an entomopathogenic fungus in the ant <em>Cardiocondyla obscurior</em>

In the article, we investigated how the chronic use of nicotine polluted diets in two different concentrations impact the colony fitness in ant Cardiocondyla obscurior compared to a nicotine-free diet. We measured brood production and development, changes in relative abundances of bacterial endosymbionts, and how it affects worker survival in combination with a fungal pathogen. Chronic exposure to nicotine caused a concentration dependent effect in enhancing the lethality of the fungal infection, with higher concentrations causing higher mortality in infected colonies. In the absence of pathogens, nicotine had no effect on worker survival. Furthermore, nicotine did not affect brood production or development, nor clearly affect the abundances of the bacterial endosymbionts. Our results show that nicotine pollution in the environment can negatively affect ant fitness through synergistic effects in combination with a fungal pathogen. Pathogens play a significant part in the decline of insects, and the influence which nicotine pollution may have in exacerbating them should receive more attention.