Invasive ants suppress a native fungus but restructure fungal communities and increase richness

Organisms deploy chemical defenses against pathogens and competitors, often resulting in coevolutionary arms races. When introduced into new environments, non-native species may possess ‘novel weapons’ against which native species have not evolved resistance. Ants use antifungal secretions and microbial symbionts to defend against pathogens, but their broader effects on soil fungi are less understood. We tested whether the invasive ant Myrmica rubra suppressed native fungi more strongly than the native ant Aphaenogaster picea using laboratory assays in which colonies of each species were exposed to agar plates inoculated with a native saprotroph, Absidia sp. Across high- and low-resource replicates, A. picea had no effect on Absidia growth relative to controls, whereas M. rubra reduced fungal cover, supporting the prediction that non-native ants exert stronger antifungal effects. Moreover, M. rubra facilitated non-target fungi colonization, including Aspergillus, Clonostachys, and Simpl..., , # Invasive ants suppress a native fungus but restructure fungal communities and increase richness

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.n02v6wx90](10.5061/dryad.n02v6wx90)

## Description of the data and file structure

Number = plate number

Date = data initiated

Ants = abundance of ants in colony

Target = percent cover of target fungi (*Absidia* sp.)

Plate = control: no *Absidia* inoculation; phyto: *Absidia* inoculation

Nutrient = high: high nutrient treatment, low: low nutrient treatment

Treatment = aph: *Aphaenogaster picea* colony; rub: *Myrmica rubra* colony

Nontarget = percent cover of nontarget fungi

### Files and variables

#### File: CM_Fungi_Data.csv

**Description:** 

##### Variables

* Number: plate number
* Date: date initiated
* Ants: abundance of ants in colony
* Target: percent cover of target fungi (*Absidia* sp.)
* Plate: control: no *Absidia* inoculation; phyto: *Absidia* inoculation
* Nutrient: high: high nutrient treatment, low: low nutrient treatment
* Treatment: ...,