Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: environmental, functional traits, and species occurrence data from the Atlantic Forest Biome - datasets

All three datasets described below are part of the publication:“Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: implications for conservation in the Atlantic Forest Biome.”A README.md file is included in the dataset to provide detailed guidance, usage notes, and a data dictionary describing all variables for each file.1. Sites × Environmental Variables MatrixContains environmental characteristics of the 30 Atlantic Forest landscapes where dung beetles were sampled. Each row corresponds to a sampling site, including geographic coordinates and the proportion (%) of major land-use classes.Detailed variable definitions are in README.md.Columns: Longitude, Latitude, Forest (%), Pioneer Vegetation (%), Bare Soil (%), Eucalyptus (%), Urban Areas (%), Bodies of Water (%), Agriculture (%).Purpose: Predictor dataset for Gradient Forest analyses of environmental drivers of dung beetle community turnover.2. Species × Functional Traits MatrixComprehensive functional trait dataset for all dung beetle species included in the study. Each species is assigned a functional group (FG) and phylogenetic group (PG). Species are ordered by functional group and taxonomic hierarchy.Detailed trait definitions, coding, and units are in README.md.Columns: Body Size, Biomass, Diel, Wing Aspect Ratio, Wing Area, Relocation Behavior, Functional Group, Phylogenetic Group, Codes.Purpose: Supports functional diversity analyses and interpretation of community shifts.3. Sites × Species Records MatrixPresence/absence data for all dung beetle species across 30 sampling sites.Detailed notes on formatting, coding, and species information are in README.md.Rows: sampling sites × Columns: species names (columns, 1 = presence, 0 = absence).Purpose: Response variable for Gradient Forest modeling underpinning the publication’s analyses.Summary:All files and the README.md with data dictionary are included in a single Figshare Dataset item. The README.md provides guidance for variable definitions, units, and formatting conventions, ensuring reproducible use of the dataset.Keywords: Dung beetles, Atlantic Forest, community turnover, environmental gradients, functional traits, biodiversity tipping points, conservation, Gradient Forest, land-use change.Citation: Anunciação, P.R.; Tavares, A.L.B.; Vaz-de-Mello, F.Z.; Ribeiro, M.C.; Ernst, R. (2025). Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: implications for conservation in the Atlantic Forest Biome. Insect Conservation and Diversity, xx.