Data from: Niche differentiation in rainforest ant communities across three continents

A central prediction of niche theory is that biotic communities are
structured by niche differentiation arising from competition. To date,
there have been numerous studies of niche differentiation in local ant
communities, but, little attention has been given to the macroecology of
niche differentiation, including the extent to which particular biomes
show distinctive patterns of niche structure across their global ranges.
We investigated patterns of niche differentiation and competition in ant
communities in tropical rainforests, using different baits reflecting the
natural food spectrum. We examined the extent of temporal and dietary
niche differentiation and spatial segregation of ant communities at five
rainforest sites in the neotropics, paleotropics, and tropical Australia.
Despite high niche overlap, we found significant dietary and temporal
niche differentiation in every site. However, there was no spatial
segregation among foraging ants at the community level, despite strong
competition for preferred food resources. Although sucrose, melezitose,
and dead insects attracted most ants, some species preferentially foraged
on seeds, living insects or bird feces. Moreover, most sites harboured
more diurnal than nocturnal species. Overall niche differentiation was
strongest in the least diverse site, possibly due to its lower number of
rare species. Both temporal and dietary differentiation thus had strong
effects on the ant assemblages, but their relative importance varied
markedly among sites. Our analyses show that patterns of niche
differentiation in ant communities are highly idiosyncratic even within a
biome, such that a mechanistic understanding of the drivers of niche
structure in ant communities remains elusive.