Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tb2rbp0fq

Description of the data and file structure

Data were collected from 38 tropical rainforest plots in the Wet Tropics, north-eastern Australia, spanning gradients of climate, elevation, disturbance, and vine density. Within each plot, all trees and climbing plants ≥1 cm DBH were measured to quantify basal area, stem density, and aboveground biomass. Environmental variables including litter depth, coarse woody debris, leaf area index, slope, and climate were recorded. Cricket assemblages were sampled using standardised pitfall traps, with individuals identified to species and associated with categorical traits. The dataset links environmental, species, and trait data to support analyses of diversity, community composition, and functional ecology.

Files and variables

File: Environmental_variables.xlsx

Description: This file contains plot-level environmental measurements from tropical rainforest sites in the Wet Tropics, Australia. Each row represents one 20 m × 20 m plot, with variables describing vegetation composition, structural complexity, and abiotic and biotic conditions.

Variables:

• plot_num: Assigned number for each plot.
• canopy: either open or closed
• latitude: Latitude (decimal degrees) of the plot center, recorded with a Garmin GPS 64sx.
• longitude: Longitude (decimal degrees) of the plot center, recorded with a Garmin GPS 64sx.
• tree_BA: Total basal area (cm²) of all tree stems >1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH, 1.3 m).
• liana_BA: Total basal area (cm²) of all liana (vine) stems >1 cm DBH.
• rattan_BA: Total basal area (cm²) of all true woody vines (rattans) >1 cm DBH.
• LTR_BA: Liana-to-tree ratio, calculated as (liana_basal + rattan_basal) / tree_basal.
• tree_n: Total count of tree stems >1 cm DBH per plot.
• liana_n: Total count of liana stems >1 cm DBH per plot.
• rattan_n: Total count of rattan stems >1 cm DBH per plot.
• litter_depth: Average leaf litter depth (cm), measured at four corners of each plot using a 30 cm ruler.
• elevation: Elevation above sea level (m), measured with a Garmin GPS 64sx.
• LAI_true_v6: Average leaf area index (LAI), estimated from 13 hemispherical canopy photographs taken ~1 m above ground in each plot.
• abs_slope: Slope (degrees), measured using a clinometer.
• LTR_basal_category: Categorical grouping of LTR_basal into low, mid, and high, based on natural breaks.
• rattan_stemdensity_category: Categorical grouping of rattan_stemdensity into low, mid, and high, based on natural breaks.
• di_sum: Total count of coarse woody debris (fallen logs and branches >10 cm diameter) intersecting two perpendicular 20 m transects in each plot.
• bio_2022: Above-ground biomass (AGB) of tree stems, calculated using a pan-tropical allometric equation.
• sitelevel: elevation or lowland
• wc2.1_30s_bio_12: Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was extracted from the WorldClim v2.1 dataset at 30 arc-second (~1 km²) resolution.
• wc2.1_30s_bio_1: Mean annual temperature (MAT) was extracted from the WorldClim v2.1 dataset at 30 arc-second (~1 km²) resolution.

File: Hill_numbers.xlsx

Description: This file contains plot-level diversity metrics from tropical rainforest sites in the Wet Tropics, Australia. Each row represents one 20 m × 20 m plot, with variables describing hill diversity measures. 

Variables

• Method: The diversity estimation method used.

• SC_q0: Sample coverage–based estimate of species richness (Hill number q = 0), representing the number of species in the plot, standardised for sample completeness.
• SC_q1: Sample coverage–based estimate of Shannon diversity (Hill number q = 1), representing the effective number of common species in the plot, standardised for sample completeness.
• SC_q2: Sample coverage–based estimate of Simpson diversity (Hill number q = 2), representing the effective number of dominant species in the plot, standardised for sample completeness.
• qD_q0: Rarefied/extrapolated Hill number q = 0 (species richness) adjusted for minimum sample coverage across plots.
• qD_q1: Rarefied/extrapolated Hill number q = 1 (Shannon diversity) adjusted for minimum sample coverage across plots.
• qD_q2: Rarefied/extrapolated Hill number q = 2 (Simpson diversity) adjusted for minimum sample coverage across plots.
• qD.LCL_q0: Lower 95% confidence limit for qD_q0.
• qD.LCL_q1: Lower 95% confidence limit for qD_q1.
• qD.LCL_q2: Lower 95% confidence limit for qD_q2.
• qD.UCL_q0: Upper 95% confidence limit for qD_q0.
• qD.UCL_q1: Upper 95% confidence limit for qD_q1.
• qD.UCL_q2: Upper 95% confidence limit for qD_q2.

File: Species_counts_raw.xlsx

Description: This file contains raw abundance data for all cricket species sampled across tropical rainforest plots in the Wet Tropics, Australia. Each column represents a species (identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level), and each row represents a plot, with cell values indicating the number of individuals recorded per species per plot

Variables

• Columns: Each column header corresponds to a cricket species name as identified in the lab. Names follow consistent spelling and, where possible, accepted taxonomic nomenclature.

• Rows: Each row corresponds to a single plot (plot ID provided in the first column).
• Cell values: Raw abundance counts (number of individuals of each species in that plot).

Code/software

All statistical analyses were done in R version 4.4.1 (R Core Team, 2024).