Tree species richness suppresses red imported fire ant invasion in a subtropical plantation forest

The ecological resistance to the invasion of alien species has been extensively researched at the within-trophic level; however, the effect of cross-trophic interactions remains largely unknown. The red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) is a globally invasive species, and a cross-trophic interaction study between RIFAs and plants may provide a more comprehensive understanding and management of its invasion. We hypothesized that the diversity of trees, which are the primary producers supporting terrestrial ecosystems, could suppress the invasion of omnivorous RIFAs by regulating food resources (e.g., plants and arthropods) and the microenvironment (e.g., soil microclimate) as well as enhancing competition with other carnivorous ants. To test this hypothesis, we investigated RIFA abundance and mound numbers across tree species richness gradients in a subtropical plantation forest. Using structural equation models, we discovered that tree species richness had contrasting effects..., Dataset Collection
For both two datasets, they contains the results of filed survey for tree, ants and micro-environment.
1 Study site and RIFA invasion status
The biodiversity-ecosystem subtropical experimental plantation forest (Guangdong Province, China; 23°30′ N, 111°49′ E) was established in 2018 (no need for permission for fieldwork). The experimental plantation forest was constructed on flat ground in an abandoned field (rice paddy prior to 2013), which was dominated by herbaceous plant species. The regional climate is characterized as a subtropical moist monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 19.6 °C and monthly average temperatures ranging from 10.6 °C (January) to 28.4 °C (July). The average annual precipitation is 1,744 mm, approximately 79% of which occurs between April and September. The natural regional vegetation is dominated by subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests.
The entire experimental plantation forest consisted of four tree species richness lev..., , # Tree species richness suppresses red imported fire ant invasion in a subtropical plantation forest —— Ant community and microenvironment: Open source data

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kh18932gw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.kh18932gw)

We have submitted our raw data of ant community (**AntCommunity.csv**) which includes the numbers of different ant species in each plot. The the name of each column was the species name. We also submitted our data for structural equation model building (**Datasets for SEMs.csv**) which includes the values of all variables mentioned in the article.

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files and variables

#### File: AntCommunity.csv

**Description:**  This dataset includes the numbers of different ant species in each plot. The the name of each column was the species name.

##### Variables

* PlotNum: The identifier number of each plot
* Solenopsis invicta: Ant species name
* Tetramorium bicarinatum : Ant species name
* Nylanderia bou...,