Data from: The role of habitat simplification and seasonality in shaping interactions between ants, plants and herbivores in a Neotropical savanna

We investigated the role of chronic anthropogenic disturbances (CAD) in
the outcomes of interactions between ants and extrafloral nectary-bearing
(EFN-bearing) plants, with particular emphasis on the role of seasonal
variation in shaping the responses of ants, herbivores, and plants. Thus,
we focused not only on the responses of ants and herbivores to CAD, but
also to phenological aspects of the trees, including the proportion of
active nectaries, and leaf stages (sprouting, new, old). More
specifically, we tested the following hypotheses: i) The amount of active
EFNs will be greater in the rainy season than in the dry season, in new
leaves than in old leaves, and in the cerrado area than in the pasture;
ii) The richness, abundance, and diversity of ants (total and arboreal)
will be greater in the rainy season than in the dry season, especially
when there are new leaves and a greater proportion of active EFNs.
Furthermore, we expect to find a greater diversity of ants in the cerrado
than in the pasture; iii) The richness and abundance of herbivores, and
consequently herbivory rates, will increase in the rainy season and in the
preserved cerrado area, responding positively to the presence of new
leaves, but negatively to the proportion of active EFNs and the occurrence
of ants, especially arboreal ants.