Birds and bats reduce herbivory damage in Papua New Guinean highland forests

Insectivorous predators, including birds and bats, play crucial roles in trophic cascades. However, previous research on these cascades has often relied on permanent predator exclosures, which prevent the isolation of specific effects of birds and bats, given their different activity patterns throughout the day. Moreover, limited knowledge exists regarding the variations in individual effects of these predators under different biotic and abiotic conditions, such as changes in elevation. To address these uncertainties, our study aimed to investigate the distinct effects of bats and birds on arthropod densities in foliage and herbivory damage in lowland and highland rainforests of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Predator exclosures were established for one month to exclude diurnal or nocturnal predators across 120 saplings (ca. 2.5-4 m tall) selected from two lowland and two highland forests (i.e., 30 saplings per study site) along the Mt. Wilhelm transect in PNG. Arthropods were collected and me..., We conducted predator exclosure experiments at four elevational study sites along the Mt. Wilhelm elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. The experiments were carried out on 120 saplings from 11 tree species. The predator exclosures, constructed from PVC tubes and agricultural nylon netting, were used to individually exclude birds and bats from the saplings. Each exclosure was accompanied by control saplings. After one month of exclusion, we collected all arthropods from the saplings to estimate their densities and sizes and assessed the extent of herbivory damage. We compared the experimental outcomes with the richness and abundance of vertebrate predators (birds and bats) using previously published data from this location., , # Birds and bats reduce herbivory damage in Papua New Guinean highland forests

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bzkh189jr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bzkh189jr)

Here are the two main important datasets used throughout the manuscript.

Arthropods_Density&Size.xlsx shows the total arthropod density and size per sample found in our study as well as the densities partitioned into four feeding guilds: NR (no relationship), Sapsuckers, Herbivores, and Predators.

Herbivory_LeafArea.xlsx presents the herbivory estimations found for each sapling in our study.

### Description of Arthropods\_Density\&Size.xlsx

* Code: ID of the tree individual (sapling)
* Plant_name: Tree species
* Elev: Elevation of the study site (m)
* Treatment: Name of each treatment (CON: controls, BIR: Bird exclusions, BAT: Bat exclusions)
* NoRelationship: Number of collected NR arthropods (Arthropods with No Relationships with herbivory or other predators) 
* Predators: Number of collected Predatory arthropod...