Sugar-rich resources mediate geographic morphological variation in a dominant, neotropical savanna ant

Aim: Trait variation across geographic gradients can reveal how species respond to different environmental settings, which is crucial under the growing threat of climate change. Although on the basis of evolutionary theory, the patterns and drivers of intraspecific functional variation remain largely underexplored. In ants, pilosity and body size are morphological traits associated to thermoregulation and heat tolerance, which are critical concerns in the context of global warming. Here, we focused on the dominant ant Camponotus crassus to investigate trait variation and its potential drivers across a latitudinal gradient in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna.
Location: Brazilian Cerrado savanna
Taxon: Camponotus crassus Mayr, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Methods: We measured mesosoma pilosity and body size of C. crassus across multiple sites, and evaluated their relationship with temperature, rainfall, solar radiation, vegetation, and sugar-rich resource variables. We also assessed morpho..., , , # Data from: Sugar-rich resources mediate geographic morphological variation in a dominant, neotropical savanna ant

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4xgxd25mp](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4xgxd25mp)

## Description of the data and file structure

Between November 2012 and April 2013, woody plants at seven sites of Cerrado *sensu stricto* were searched for ant-plant interactions. In each locality, 5 transects of 200 m were established, at least 1 km apart from one another. Transects were divided into 20 plots of 10 m length and data were collected in 10 alternate plots. Each transect was characterized by its climatic, vegetational and resource variables. For morphological characterization and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyping, we selected *Camponotus crassus *specimens from samples collected during fieldwork. For data collection details, please see Material and Methods.

### Files and variables

#### File: Data.xlsx

**Description:** Local, ID, and coordinates of transec...,