Processionary and Ants in Central Spain

This dataset contains data used to investigate the relationships between pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) incidence, ant communities, and forest structure in Mediterranean pine forests of central Spain. The study includes data from 20 sites dominated by Pinus pinaster and Pinus sylvestris, combining multi-year measurements of pest infestation severity with detailed characterization of ant community composition, species diversity, and functional structure (including the relative frequency of predatory taxa). In addition, key forest structural variables were quantified at each site (pine density, forest floor openness, and tree size-class diversity). These data were used to assess how biotic interactions and forest structure jointly shape pest dynamics within a food-web and context-dependent ecological framework.