Ant brightness and size influence the seasonal vegetation use by ground-dwelling ants in an Amazonia-Cerrado transition zone

Several factors influence species distribution within communities, with ecological filters playing a major role by shaping morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. Seasonal changes in environmental conditions—such as light incidence, temperature, and humidity—can favor species capable of foraging under varying conditions or in different strata. Ants are excellent models for studying how ecological filters structure communities throughout the year, as they exhibit traits that enable them to occupy a wide range of microhabitats. Two such traits that may reflect responses to environmental filters are body size and brightness. In this study, we investigated how ant distribution varies between soil and lower vegetation across two seasons, and how these patterns relate to ant morphology in an ecotonal area between the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps placed on the ground and in the lower vegetation. We measured the size and brightness..., , , # Ant brightness and size influence the seasonal vegetation use by ground-dwelling ants in an Amazonia-Cerrado transition zone

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r2280gbp8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r2280gbp8)

## **Description of the Data and File Structure**

The attached files are associated with the manuscript *“Ant brightness and size influence the seasonal vegetation use by ground-dwelling ants in an Amazonia-Cerrado transition zone”*, to be published in *Ecological Entomology*.

All files include the raw data and R scripts used for the statistical analyses presented in the paper.

**rawdata.xlsx**

This file contains the raw and formatted data on ant frequency per pitfall across all samples. Pitfalls were arranged in a transect (plot), with traps placed every 25 meters. In the study, we summed the data per plot.

**Variables:**

* **Season**: The season when the sample was collected — either *DRY* or *RAINY*.
* **plot**: A simple code to differentiate samples. Each plot was plac...,

群落内物种分布受多种因素调控，其中生态过滤（ecological filters）通过塑造物种的形态、生理与行为适应性发挥核心作用。环境条件的季节波动——如光照入射量、温度与湿度——可筛选出能在多变环境或不同群落层片中觅食的物种。蚂蚁是研究生态过滤如何全年塑造群落结构的理想模式类群，因其具备广泛适配多种微生境的功能性状。其中可反映物种对环境过滤响应的两类关键特征为体型与体色亮度（brightness）。

本研究针对亚马逊与塞拉多（Cerrado）生物群系间的过渡生态交错带，探究了两个季节中蚂蚁在土壤与下层植被间的分布差异，以及此类分布模式与蚂蚁形态特征的关联。本研究采用置于地面与下层植被中的陷阱法采集蚂蚁样本，并对其体型与体色亮度进行了测量……

# 体色亮度与体型影响亚马逊-塞拉多过渡带地表蚂蚁的季节植被利用偏好

https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r2280gbp8

## 数据与文件结构说明

本附件关联的论文手稿为《体色亮度与体型影响亚马逊-塞拉多过渡带地表蚂蚁的季节植被利用偏好》，拟发表于《Ecological Entomology》期刊。

所有附件文件均包含论文中统计分析所用的原始数据与R脚本。

**rawdata.xlsx**

该文件包含所有采样点中各陷阱的蚂蚁捕获频次原始与格式化数据。本研究中，陷阱沿样带（样方）布设，间距为25米，且按样方对数据进行了汇总。

**变量说明：**
* **Season（采样季节）**：样本采集时的季节，分为*DRY（旱季）*与*RAINY（雨季）*。
* **plot（样方编号）**：用于区分样本的简易编码，每个样方布设……