Tropical biome switching: Ant communities transition from savanna to rainforest following cessation of burning

Savannas and rainforests co-occur as mosaics across large areas of the tropics. These mosaics are dynamic, with savanna and rainforest switching in relatively short-time scales, largely through the effects of fire. Most research to date focuses on assessing how this biome switching affects vegetation, with little attention given to faunal responses to transitions between savannas and rainforests.
Aim: To assess faunal responses to biome switching from savanna to rainforest following 50 years of fire cessation.
Location: Iron Range (Kutini-Payamu) on Australia's Cape York Peninsula.
Taxon: Subterranean, leaf litter, epigaeic, and arboreal ant assemblages.
Methods: We sampled ant assemblages using pitfall, subterranean and arboreal traps, and leaf litter extractions across different vegetation types: savanna, secondary forest, primary dry forest and primary wet forest.
Results: We find a clear switch from savanna to rainforest ant communities and that the ant communities in secondary fore..., This dataset consists of data on subterranean, leaf litter, epigaeic and arboreal ant assemblages. It was collected using pitfall, subterranean and arboreal traps, and leaf litter extractions. These were placed in 9 sites in the Iron Range of the northern Cape York peninsula of Australia. The vegetation of these sites consisted of savanna, secondary forest, dry primary forest and wet primary forest. , , # Data from: Tropical biome switching: Ant communities transition from savanna to rainforest following cessation of burning

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mcvdnck9r](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mcvdnck9r)

## Description of the data and file structure

These data (IR_ants_2022.csv) result from sampling at the Iron Range Research Station (IRRS) in northern Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia, done in June 2022. The sampling targeted subterranean, leaf litter, epigaeic, and arboreal ant assemblages in different vegetation types: savanna, secondary regrowth forest, primary dry forest, and primary wet forest. In total, we sampled 9 plots, deploying 180 pitfall traps, 180 arboreal traps, 360 subterranean traps, and undertook 28 Winkler leaf litter extractions.  

### Files and variables

#### File: IR_ants_2022.csv

**Description:** Raw data used for all analyses.

##### Variables and description

| IRRS\_name | Site name as used at the Iron Range Research Station (IRRS) ...,