Data from: Temporal and trophic niche partitioning among arboreal ants in a Neotropical woodland savanna
Data files
May 08, 2026 version files 27.91 KB
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README_Savanna_arboreal_ants_niche.txt
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README.md
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Savanna_arboreal_ants_niche_partitioning.xlsx
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Savanna_arboreal_ants_species.xlsx
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Abstract
Niche partitioning is a key mechanism for explaining species coexistence, including the coexistence of ants in trees of the Brazilian savanna (cerrado). However, we have limited information on the extent to which arboreal ant species exploit different food resources and/or have different daily foraging schedules. We tested these ideas through a baiting experiment, and by measuring the isotopic signature (δ15N) and the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of the 14 most common species found in a typical cerrado tree species. Although most species foraged on all bait types offered, species-specific preferences were noted for about one-third of the species. We also found a wide variation in mean δ15N between species, reflecting interspecific differences in trophic position. Most (71.4 %) species foraged predominantly on a given period of the day, ranging from strictly nocturnal species to those that foraged mainly in the afternoon. Species with a higher heat tolerance (higher CTmax) often foraged at warmer periods of the day than those with a lower tolerance. Despite the evidence of trophic and temporal niche partitioning, other mechanisms, such as nesting site specialization and behavioral trade-offs, are required to explain species coexistence in this arboreal ant assemblage, as several species pairs largely overlap both in their diet and time of foraging. Importantly, our results provide additional support for the idea that physiological restriction to high temperatures is important for understanding interspecific differences in foraging activity schedules.
List of the 31 arboreal ant species recorded in this study on baits or during active collection and biological characteristics of the 14 most common arboreal ants in the studied neotropical savanna (Cerrado).Most species foraged on all bait types offered, species-specific preferences were noted for about one-third of the species. We also found a wide variation in mean δ15N between species, reflecting interspecific differences in trophic position. Most (71.4 %) species foraged predominantly on a given period of the day, ranging from strictly nocturnal species to those that foraged mainly in the afternoon. Species with a higher heat tolerance (higher CTmax) often foraged at warmer periods of the day than those with a lower tolerance.
Description of the data and file structure:
File "Savanna_arboreal_ants_species.xlsx": List of the 31 ant species recorded in this study on baits or during active collection.
Columns:
- Species: Name of the sampled species
- Total of baits: total number of baits in which the species was found
- Total of trees: total number of trees in which the species was found.
Species were ranked according to their frequency in trees.
* = Species found in five or more of the 90 sampled trees.
File "Savanna_arboreal_ants_niche_partitioning.xlsx": Biological characteristics of the 14 most common arboreal ants in a neotropical savanna (Cerrado). Columns:
- Species: Name of the sampled species
- Sugar: Proportion of of the total number of baits exploited that were sugar baits
- Olive oil: Proportion of the total number of baits exploited that were olive oil baits
- Insects: Proportion of the total number of baits exploited that were crushed insects baits
- Urine: Proportion of the total number of baits exploited that were urine baits
- Morning: Proportion of the total number of species records (on baits or during active collection) that occurred in the morning (between 6 and 8 AM)
- Afternoon: Proportion of the total number of species records (on baits or during active collection) that occurred in the afternoon (between 12 AM and 2 PM)
- Night: Proportion of the total number of species records (on baits or during active collection) that occurred in the night (between 11PM and 1 AM)
- Temperature: mean air temperature during the time of foraging at baits
- CTmax: mean critical thermal maximum, expressed in degrees Celsius (°C) (average temperature of death or permanent loss of muscle coordination of the 40 workers, evaluated at 10-min intervals throughout the dry bath thermal tolerance tests
- δ15N: mean nitrogen isotopic signature ( results were expressed in delta notation per thousand, with an internationally acknowledged standard (atmospheric N2) as reference).
The mean temperature of foraging was weighted by the number of trees in which the focal species was recorded in each sampling event, using the formula: (Air temperature at a given sampling event Number of trees in which the species was recorded at that sampling event)/Sum of the total number of trees in which the species was recorded considering all sampling events.
File "README_Savanna_arboreal_ants_niche.txt" - Copy of the README.