Data from: Influences of species interactions with aggressive ants and habitat filtering on nest colonization and community composition of arboreal twig-nesting ants

Ant community assembly is driven by many factors including species interactions (e.g. competition, predation, parasitism), habitat filtering (e.g. vegetation differences, food and nesting resources), and dispersal. Canopy ant communities, including dominant and twig-nesting ants, are structured by all these different factors, but we know less about the impacts of species interactions and habitat filters acting at the colonization or recruitment stage. We examined occupation of artificial twig nests placed in shade trees in coffee agroecosystems. We asked whether species interactions -- aggression from the dominant canopy ant, Azteca sericeasur (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) -- or habitat filtering -- species of tree where nests were placed, tree size, or surrounding vegetation -- influence colonization, species richness, and community composition of twig-nesting ants. We found 20 species of ants occupying artificial nests. Nest occupation was lower on trees with A. sericeasur, but did not differ depending on tree species or surrounding vegetation. Yet, there were species-specific differences in occupation depending on A. sericeasur presence and tree species. Ant species richness did not vary with A. sericeasur presence or tree species. Community composition varied with A. sericeasur presence, tree height, and surrounding vegetation. Our results suggest that species interactions with dominant ants are important determinants of colonization and community composition of twig-nesting ants. Habitat filtering by tree species did not affect twig-nesting ants, but changes in tree size or coffee management may contribute to differences in community composition with important implications for ant conservation in agricultural landscapes, as well as biological control of coffee pests.

蚂蚁群落构建（Ant community assembly）受多种因素驱动，包括物种相互作用（species interactions，如竞争、捕食、寄生）、生境过滤（habitat filtering，如植被差异、食物与筑巢资源）以及扩散过程。冠层蚂蚁群落（canopy ant communities）——包含优势种与细枝栖蚂蚁（twig-nesting ants）——受上述所有因素调控，但学界针对物种相互作用与生境过滤在定殖（colonization）或招募（recruitment）阶段所产生影响的认知仍较为匮乏。本研究针对咖啡农业生态系统（coffee agroecosystems）中遮荫树内布设的人工细枝巢（artificial twig nests）开展占用调查，旨在探究两类因素对细枝栖蚂蚁定殖、物种丰富度（species richness）及群落组成（community composition）的影响：其一为物种相互作用——优势冠层蚂蚁银毛举腹蚁（Azteca sericeasur，膜翅目蚁科Hymenoptera: Formicidae）的攻击行为；其二为生境过滤——放置巢的树木种类、树木尺寸及周边植被状况。本研究共记录到20种占据人工巢的蚂蚁物种。存在银毛举腹蚁的树木上，人工巢的占据率更低，但巢占据情况未随树木种类或周边植被产生显著差异。不过，不同蚂蚁物种的巢占据情况会因银毛举腹蚁的存在与否及树木种类呈现物种特异性差异。蚂蚁物种丰富度未随银毛举腹蚁的存在或树木种类发生变化。细枝栖蚂蚁的群落组成则随银毛举腹蚁的存在、树木高度及周边植被状况发生显著变化。本研究结果表明，与优势蚂蚁的物种相互作用是决定细枝栖蚂蚁定殖与群落组成的关键调控因素。树木种类介导的生境过滤未对细枝栖蚂蚁产生显著影响，但树木尺寸变化或咖啡种植管理措施或可推动群落组成产生差异，这对农业景观中的蚂蚁保护以及咖啡害虫生物防治均具有重要意义。