Data from: Mutualistic mimicry and filtering by altitude shape the structure of Andean butterfly communities

Both the abiotic environment and abiotic interactions among species
contribute to shaping species assemblages. While the roles of habitat
filtering and competitive interactions are clearly established, less is
known about how positive interactions, whereby species benefit from the
presence of one another, affect community structure. Here we assess the
importance of positive interactions by studying Andean communities of
butterflies that interact mutualistically via Müllerian mimicry. We show
that communities at similar altitudes have a similar phylogenetic
composition, confirming that filtering by altitude is an important
process. We also provide evidence that species that interact
mutualistically (i.e., species that share the same mimicry wing pattern)
coexist at large scales more often than expected by chance. Furthermore,
we detect an association between mimicry structure and altitude that is
stronger than expected even when phylogeny is corrected for, indicating
adaptive convergence for wing pattern and/or altitudinal range driven by
mutualistic interactions. Positive interactions extend far beyond
Müllerian mimicry, with many examples in plants and animals, and their
role in the evolution and assembly of communities may be more pervasive
than is currently appreciated. Our findings have strong implications for
the evolution and resilience of community structure in a changing world.