Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4mw6m90sh

Description of the data and file structure

The data were collected in 2018 using standardized trap nests in the Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, southern China. Trap nests were placed under two contrasting canopy habitats (open canopy and closed canopy) to investigate the abundance, diversity, and community composition of solitary wasps. Each trap nest contained reed tubes that provided nesting cavities for solitary wasps. Occupied nesting tubes were collected in June, August, October, and December, dissected in the laboratory, and the numbers of nesting tubes and brood cells were recorded for each solitary wasp species. Environmental variables associated with the trap nests, including trap-nest height, elevation, slope, and canopy habitat treatment, were also recorded. Spatial variables were subsequently generated using Moran’s eigenvector maps (MEMs) to characterize spatial structure among sampling locations.

Files and variables

File: solitary_wasp_brood_cell_counts.csv

Description: This file contains a nest-box-by-species matrix of the number of brood cells constructed by 12 solitary wasp species. Each row represents one nest box, and each species column contains the number of brood cells recorded for that species in the corresponding nest box.

Variables

• Nest Box Number: Unique identifier for each trap nest (nest box).
• Anterhynchium flavomarginatum: Number of brood cells of Anterhynchium flavomarginatum recorded in the nest box.
• Epsilon fujianensis: Number of brood cells of Epsilon fujianensis recorded in the nest box.
• Pareumenes quadrispinosus acutus: Number of brood cells of Pareumenes quadrispinosus acutus recorded in the nest box.
• Parancistrocerus lamnulus: Number of brood cells of Parancistrocerus lamnulus recorded in the nest box.
• Trypoxylon errans: Number of brood cells of Trypoxylon errans recorded in the nest box.
• Isodontia nigella: Number of brood cells of Isodontia nigella recorded in the nest box.
• Chalybion hainanense: Number of brood cells of Chalybion hainanense recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.1: Number of brood cells of Auplopus sp.1 recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.3: Number of brood cells of Auplopus sp.3 recorded in the nest box.
• Deuteragenia sp.1: Number of brood cells of Deuteragenia sp.1 recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.2: Number of brood cells of Auplopus sp.2 recorded in the nest box.
• Pseudagenia sp.1: Number of brood cells of Pseudagenia sp.1 recorded in the nest box.

File: solitary_wasp_nest_tube_counts.csv

Description: This file contains a nest-box-by-species matrix of the number of nesting tubes occupied by 12 solitary wasp species. Each row represents one nest box, and each species column contains the number of nesting tubes recorded for that species in the corresponding nest box.

Variables

• Nest Box Number: Unique identifier for each trap nest (nest box).
• Anterhynchium flavomarginatum: Number of nesting tubes of Anterhynchium flavomarginatum recorded in the nest box.
• Epsilon fujianensis: Number of nesting tubes of Epsilon fujianensis recorded in the nest box.
• Pareumenes quadrispinosus acutus: Number of nesting tubes of Pareumenes quadrispinosus acutus recorded in the nest box.
• Parancistrocerus lamnulus: Number of nesting tubes of Parancistrocerus lamnulus recorded in the nest box.
• Trypoxylon errans: Number of nesting tubes of Trypoxylon errans recorded in the nest box.
• Isodontia nigella: Number of nesting tubes of Isodontia nigella recorded in the nest box.
• Chalybion hainanense: Number of nesting tubes of Chalybion hainanense recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.1: Number of nesting tubes of Auplopus sp.1 recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.3: Number of nesting tubes of Auplopus sp.3 recorded in the nest box.
• Deuteragenia sp.1: Number of nesting tubes of Deuteragenia sp.1 recorded in the nest box.
• Auplopus sp.2: Number of nesting tubes of Auplopus sp.2 recorded in the nest box.
• Pseudagenia sp.1: Number of nesting tubes of Pseudagenia sp.1 recorded in the nest box.

File: environmental_variables.csv

Description:  This file contains environmental and experimental-design variables associated with each nest box. These variables include nest-box pair identity, trap-nest height, elevation, slope, and canopy habitat treatment.

Variables

• Nest Box Number: Unique identifier for each trap nest (nest box).
• PairID: Identifier for the paired trap-nest sampling design. Nest boxes with the same PairID belong to the same sampling pair.
• Height: Height of the trap nest above the ground, measured in centimeters (cm).
• Elevation: Elevation of the sampling location above sea level, measured in meters (m).
• Slope: Terrain slope at the sampling location, measured in degrees (°).
• Treatment: Canopy habitat category of the nest box. Values are “Open canopy” and “Closed canopy”.

File: spatial_MEM_variables.csv

Description: This file contains spatial variables associated with each nest box. Spatial structure among sampling locations was represented using Moran’s eigenvector maps (MEMs). A total of 21 MEM variables were generated from the spatial configuration of nest-box locations and represent spatial patterns at different scales.

Variables

• Nest Box Number: Unique identifier for each trap nest (nest box).
• MEM1-MEM21: Moran’s eigenvector map variables representing spatial structures among nest-box locations at different spatial scales. These variables are unitless spatial eigenvector scores derived from the spatial relationships among sampling locations.

Code/software

No specialized software is required to access the deposited data. All data files are provided in CSV format and can be opened with standard spreadsheet software, text editors, or statistical software such as R.

Access information

Other publicly accessible locations of the data:

• None

Data was derived from the following sources:

• Data were generated from the field survey and subsequent spatial analyses conducted for this study.