Abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects in cocoa and forest landscapes in Ghana

OverviewThis dataset contains the results of a field experiment conducted to study the abundance and diversity of flying flower-visitor insects, particularly focusing on pollinator communities, in and around the Bia Conservation Area (BCA) in the Western North Region of Ghana. The experiment aimed to assess how changes in landscapes, particularly the loss of natural forests due to cocoa expansion, and trap type, affect flower-visiting insect communities in Ghana. Experiment details:Study area: The study was conducted within and around the Bia Conservation Area, characterized by moist evergreen forests and various land use types including agriculture, cocoa plantations, and urban settlements. The main economic activity for the inhabitants in the vicinity of the protected area is agriculture and forest clearance has led to a landscape dominated by cocoa plantations outside of BCA.Sampling sites: Forty-eight candidate sites were initially selected based on land-cover maps developed by Satelligence (2019), and 18 sites were chosen along a gradient of natural forest cover for the experiment. Sampling of flying insects: Ground pan traps (GPTs) and aerial pan traps (APTs) were used to sample flying insects over four periods between 2021 and 2022, covering both rainy and dry seasons. Dataset description:Columns:The dataset consists of various columns including site information, trap type, season, sampling round, insect abundance counts for different orders and species, land use types, proportion of natural forest cover, latitude, and longitude. Data Format: The data are provided in a tabular format with rows representing individual trap samples and columns representing different variables. Files included Dataset_Boakye_et_al_2024: Contains the main dataset with all relevant information. Readme File: This readme file provides an overview of the dataset and experiment details. Contact information For any inquiries regarding the dataset or experiment details, please contact: Richard Gyamfi Boakye University College Dublin Email: [e-mail] email: [e-mail]<br>ReferenceSATELLIGENCE 2019. <i>Satellite imaging making deforestation-free cocoa possible. Accesses at </i><i>https://satelligence.com/news/satellite-imaging-makingdeforestation-free-cocoa</i><i> on 10/04/2020</i>.<br>