Data on arthropod abundance in tropical forest restoration plots with high or low plant phylogenetic diversity

Consideration of plant phylogenetic diversity in ecological restoration carries substantial potential, as communities with a greater diversity of lineages with older evolutionary histories can increase the diversity of niches and thus are likely to recover larger species networks than communities clustered in specific clades with reduced variation in functional traits. In this study, we experimentally assessed how arthropod communities were affected by the phylogenetic diversity of a set of tropical tree species. We established 12 experimental restoration plots with either high or low plant phylogenetic diversity, while maintaining constant the number of plant species. After one and three years, arthropods with different feeding habits (herbivores, predators, pollinators, and detritivores) were collected and identified as morphospecies or operational taxonomic units using metabarcoding techniques. We provide insights on the influence of plant phylogenetic diversity on arthropod abundanc..., Between July 2018 and January 2019, we established 12 restoration plantings (15 × 15 m) within the active cattle pastures, with a minimum distance of 50 m among the plots. To manipulate the phylogenetic diversity of the plantings, we used a total of 43 tropical tree species. In half of the plots, we established plant assemblages with high phylogenetic diversity (HPD), incorporating 27 phylogenetically distant species from 23 families, widely distributed across the phylogeny of the regional pool of species (see below). In the remaining plots, we established plantings with low plant phylogenetic diversity (LPD), with 27 species from 10 families clustered within the phylogeny and with more recent common ancestors.
We collected arthropods from the experimental plots in September 2019 and 2021 (~ 1 and 3 years after establishment of restoration plots), using distinct methods for each arthropod guild. To capture pollinators, we used pan traps comprising three plastic containers painted in blu..., , # Data on arthropod abundance in tropical forest restoration plots with high or low plant phylogenetic diversity

## Description of the data and file structure

Data sets contents

1. Abundance of arthropods (predators, herbivores, pollinators and detritivores)
2. Arthropod Species Abundance by Rank (to calculate species rank abundance curves)
3. Arthropod Species Abundance by treatment and year (by guild: Predators, herbivores, Pollinators and Detritivores)- To calculate number of Hills
4. Arthropod Species Abundance by treatment and year (to calculate species composition differences for both, Morphospecies and OTUs)

*in all cases: HPD=High Phylogenetic Diversity and LPD = Low Phylogenetic Diversity

Experimental Procedure:

The study was carried out within 'Los Amigos' cattle ranch, located in the buffer zone of the Los Tuxtlas biosphere reserve (18°32’56” N, 94°59’58” W) in Veracruz, México. The climate in this area is warm and humid with mean temperatures ranging from 24 ...