Diversity patterns along ecological succession in tropical dry forests: A multi-taxonomic approach

Evaluating the diversity of multiple taxa is fundamental to understand community assembly and to assess the integrity and functionality of tropical secondary forests. In this study, we analyzed the natural regeneration of tropical dry forests (TDFs) in three regions of Brazil using Hill-Simpson diversity, abundance and β-diversity of trees and five groups of insects (herbivores, fruit-feeding butterflies, ants, culicid mosquitoes and dung beetles). Sampling was conducted in 39 0.1 ha plots using a chronosequence approach (13 plots in early, intermediate and old-growth forests). We evaluated the contribution of three different levels to γ-diversity: α (within plots), β¹ (among plots) and β² (among successional stages), and further determined the relative importance of turnover (species replacement) and nestedness (differences in species number among sites) to β². Our results showed that, unexpectedly, the Hill-Simpson diversity was consistently higher in early than old-growth stages for ..., Methods - Tree Sampling
From January to May 2012, 39 plots of 50 x 20 m were delimited (9 in Serra do Cipó, 15 in North MG and 15 in Patos), with 13 plots in each successional stage. Whenever possible, plots from different stages were interspersed, with a minimum distance of 200 m among plots (Figure S1). The floristic survey was carried out only once in the same period. In each plot, all living trees with diameter at breast height (DBH = 1.30 m from the ground) ≥ 5 cm were identified and measured. Height was visually estimated with the aid of a 2 m stick as a reference. These inventoried individuals were marked and numbered with aluminum tags and identified according to the Brazilian Flora project (Brazil Flora Group 2021). Voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and in the Herbarium Montes Claros (MCMG) at the State University of Montes Claros (UNIMONTES).
Methods - Fauna Sampling
Herbivorous insects
Herbivorous insects associat..., , # DIVERSITY PATTERNS ALONG ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION IN TROPICAL DRY FORESTS: A MULTI-TAXONOMIC APPROACH

This dataset contains the abundance of each of the species collected per plot (50 x 20 m) for six different taxa: butterflies, ants, mosquitoes, herbivorous insects, dung beetles and trees in tropical dry forests in three regions: North of MG (15 plots, three sites), Serra do Cipó (9 plots, one site) and Patos (15 plots, one site). For insects, multiple samples (traps) were used per plot. For trees, the plot is the sampling unit. In each region, plots were equally distributed into three successional stages: early, intermediate and old-growth.

## Description of the data and file structure

The dataset contains a column for “Plot code” that indicates the region, successional stage and plot number. The column “Region” has three categories: North of MG, Patos and Serra do Cipó. In each region, there are three successional stages- Early, Intermediate and Late – which are indicated in anot...