Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: environmental, functional traits, and species occurrence data from the Atlantic Forest Biome - datasets

All three datasets described below are part of the publication:<br><b><i>“Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: implications for conservation in the Atlantic Forest Biome.”</i></b>A <b>README.md file</b> is included in the dataset to provide detailed guidance, usage notes, and a <b>data dictionary</b> describing all variables for each file.<b>1. Sites × Environmental Variables Matrix</b>Contains environmental characteristics of the <b>30 Atlantic Forest landscapes</b> where dung beetles were sampled. Each row corresponds to a sampling site, including geographic coordinates and the proportion (%) of major land-use classes.Detailed variable definitions are in README.md.Columns: Longitude, Latitude, Forest (%), Pioneer Vegetation (%), Bare Soil (%), Eucalyptus (%), Urban Areas (%), Bodies of Water (%), Agriculture (%).<b>Purpose:</b> Predictor dataset for Gradient Forest analyses of environmental drivers of dung beetle community turnover.<b>2. Species × Functional Traits Matrix</b>Comprehensive functional trait dataset for all dung beetle species included in the study. Each species is assigned a functional group (FG) and phylogenetic group (PG). Species are ordered by functional group and taxonomic hierarchy.Detailed trait definitions, coding, and units are in README.md.Columns: Body Size, Biomass, Diel, Wing Aspect Ratio, Wing Area, Relocation Behavior, Functional Group, Phylogenetic Group, Codes.<b>Purpose:</b> Supports functional diversity analyses and interpretation of community shifts.<b>3. Sites × Species Records Matrix</b>Presence/absence data for all dung beetle species across 30 sampling sites.Detailed notes on formatting, coding, and species information are in README.md.Rows: sampling sites × Columns: species names (columns, 1 = presence, 0 = absence).<b>Purpose:</b> Response variable for Gradient Forest modeling underpinning the publication’s analyses.<b>Summary:</b><br>All files and the README.md with <b>data dictionary</b> are included in a <b>single Figshare Dataset item</b>. The README.md provides guidance for variable definitions, units, and formatting conventions, ensuring reproducible use of the dataset.<b>Keywords:</b> Dung beetles, Atlantic Forest, community turnover, environmental gradients, functional traits, biodiversity tipping points, conservation, Gradient Forest, land-use change.<b>Citation:</b> Anunciação, P.R.; Tavares, A.L.B.; Vaz-de-Mello, F.Z.; Ribeiro, M.C.; Ernst, R. (2025). Critical tipping points in dung beetle communities: implications for conservation in the Atlantic Forest Biome. Insect Conservation and Diversity, xx.<br>