Data from: Modest experimental warming reduces species diversity and biomass of arthropods in a Tibetan alpine meadow
Data files
May 23, 2025 version files 6.24 MB
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abundance_significant_changes.csv
1.87 KB
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air_temperature.csv
126.84 KB
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arthropod_body_mass.csv
40.01 KB
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arthropod_community.csv
85.04 KB
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experimental_warming_decrease_arthropod_diversity_biomass.xlsx
3.13 MB
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glmm_sem_data.csv
6.56 KB
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herbivore_feeding_preference.csv
2.76 KB
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plant_community.csv
24.50 KB
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precipitation.csv
32.85 KB
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README.md
6.59 KB
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soil_moisture.csv
189.88 KB
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species_information.csv
40.96 KB
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VPD.csv
2.55 MB
May 23, 2025 version files 6.24 MB
-
abundance_significant_changes.csv
1.87 KB
-
air_temperature.csv
126.84 KB
-
arthropod_body_mass.csv
40.01 KB
-
arthropod_community.csv
85.04 KB
-
experimental_warming_decrease_arthropod_diversity_biomass.xlsx
3.13 MB
-
glmm_sem_data.csv
6.56 KB
-
herbivore_feeding_preference.csv
2.76 KB
-
plant_community.csv
24.50 KB
-
precipitation.csv
32.85 KB
-
README.md
6.59 KB
-
soil_moisture.csv
189.88 KB
-
species_information.csv
40.96 KB
-
VPD.csv
2.55 MB
Abstract
Climate warming is expected to contribute to the decline of arthropod species diversity and biomass around the world. However, direct experimental evidence is lacking. Here, we report on a field experiment documenting arthropod species diversity and biomass responses to passive simulated warming for six consecutive years in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. The field warming experiment consisted of six large open-top chambers (15 m × 15 m × 2.5 m), with three chambers warmed and three non-warmed, resulting in mean temperature differences of 0.18°C and 0.57°C in the growing season and the non-growing season, respectively. Warming decreased arthropod species diversity by 39% and arthropod biomass by 18% during the experiment. Specifically, the richness of large-bodied species decreased, while small-bodied species were not significantly affected. Moreover, the abundance of small-bodied species increased, but that of large-bodied ones decreased, resulting in decreases in community size spectrum and community-weighted mean body size under warming. Results of the structural equation model suggest that the decreases in arthropod species diversity (represented by species richness and community size spectrum) and biomass were primarily caused by a warming-induced shift from forb- to graminoid-dominated plant communities, which could be attributed to a warming-induced decrease in soil moisture. Moreover, the warming effect on arthropod species diversity and biomass was more pronounced in the late years of the experiment, which could be partly related to the increase in mean annual temperature over the course of the experiment and the progressing shift in plant community species composition over time. Our study provides unique experimental evidence that even very modest warming may result in declines in both species diversity and biomass of arthropods through cascades of indirect effects, and identifies important mechanisms underlying biodiversity loss.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w33
Description of the data and file structure
Dataset Overview:
This dataset contains the data used to generate figures in Hu et al. (2025), testing the hypothesis that experimental warming would decrease the species diversity and biomass of arthropods. Sweep nets (standard equipment with 38 cm diameter) were used to survey arthropod communities in all six chambers from June to August each year from 2017 to 2022 (seven surveys annually). All captured arthropods were manually sorted and identified based on morphological traits, recorded, and then released back into the chambers they were taken from. Samples of unidentified species were collected and identified using DNA barcoding. To assess the warming effect on arthropod biomass, a minimum of three individuals (at least one individual from each chamber; except for very rare species such as Ceraeochrysa sp. and Tetanocera sp., for which two individuals were collected) were collected for each arthropod species in 2020, dried, and weighed to determine dry body mass. In addition, sixteen of the herbivorous species experienced significant changes in abundance due to warming were recorded. The feeding preference for graminoids for each herbivore species and for each chamber as the sum of the relative frequency of the graminoid species in its diet. We investigated whether the impact of warming on species abundance was influenced by species body size. Initially, we developed generalized linear mixed models with warming as a fixed effect and year and chamber identity as random effects to assess the warming effect on the abundance for each species. Subsequently, we used the slope of GLMMs (ß) for species that exhibited significant changes in abundance in response to warming to indicate the direction and extent of warming effects on species abundance. Plant species composition was investigated using a quadrat sampling method. twenty sampling quadrats were randomly selected in each chamber each year from 2017 to 2022. plants were clipped at the ground level and classified into graminoids (i.e. Poaceae and Cyperaceae species) and non-graminoids (all the remaining species, including forbs and legume species). The air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, soil moisture at 5 cm depth, daily precipitation were measured.
Description of the data and file structure
This repository contains all data used in Hu et al. (2025). Raw data were processed using R software for statistical analyses. File names correspond to the plots for major figures in the manuscript, categorized below based on arthropod community, plant community, and meteorological conditions, with summary statistics provided for key figures.
arthropod_community.csv
This file contains the arthropods abundance of each chamber from 2017 to 2022. The species names were showed in the “species_information.csv”.
Number of columns: 154
Number of rows: 253
arthropod_body_mass.csv
This file contains the arthropods body mass each chamber in 2020. The species names were showed in the “species_information.csv”.
Number of columns: 4
Number of rows: 1762
abundance_significant_changes.csv
This file contains the slope of GLMMs (estimate) for species that exhibited significant changes in abundance in response to warming. x2 means chi-square value. P means P value.
Number of columns: 5
Number of rows: 42
herbivore_feeding_preference.csv
This file contains the feeding preference for graminoids for each herbivore species. The species names were shown in the “species_information.csv”.
Number of columns:6
Number of rows: 84
species_information.csv
This file contains the observed species identity, average body mass, Latin names and COI sequences.
Number of columns:4
Number of rows: 152
plant_community.csv
This file contains the plant aboveground biomass and relative biomass of graminoids. The unit of plant aboveground biomass g per square meter.
Number of columns: 7
Number of rows: 577
air_temperature.csv
This file contains the air temperature at 30 cm aboveground in both non-warmed and warmed chambers from 2017 to 2022. The unit of temperature is degrees Celsius.
Number of columns: 3
Number of rows: 4380
VPD.csv
This file contains the vapor pressure deficit both in non-warmed and warmed chambers from 2018 to 2022.
Number of columns: 3
Number of rows: 64718
soil_moisture.csv
This file contains the soil volumetric water content at 5 cm depth both in non-warmed and warmed chambers, in August from 2017 to 2022.
Number of columns: 3
Number of rows: 7441
precipitation.csv
This file contains the daily precipitation in the study site from 2017 to 2022.
Number of columns: 2
Number of rows: 2192
glmm_sem_data.csv
This file contains the processing data used for (generalized) linear mixed models and structural equation modelling.
The meaning of abbreviated column names:
days_above_0: The days above 0°C each year
min_soil_moisture: The minimum soil moisture at 5 cm depth in August
cwm_size: The arthropod community weighted mean of body mass
CSS: community size spectrum
abundance_large_2: the abundance of arthropods with body mass greater than 2 mg abundance_less_2: the abundance of arthropods with body mass less than 2 mg
richness_large_2: the species richness of arthropods whose body mass is greater than 2 mg
richness_less_2: the species richness of arthropods whose body mass is less than 2 mg
SR_0_25: The species richness of arthropods with body mass less than 0.925 mg (25% quantile)
SR_25_50: The species richness of arthropods with body mass from 0.925 mg to 2.218 mg (50% quantile)
SR_50_75: The species richness of arthropods with body mass 2.218 mg to 4.635 mg (75% quantile)
SR_75_100: The species richness of arthropods with body mass greater than 4.635 mg (100% quantile)
abundance_0_25: The abundance of arthropods with body mass less than 0.925 mg (25% quantile)
abundance_25_50: The abundance of arthropods with body mass from 0.925 mg to 2.218 mg (50% quantile)
abundance_50_75: The abundance of arthropods with body mass 2.218 mg to 4.635 mg (75% quantile)
abundance_75_100: The abundance of arthropods with body mass greater than 4.635 mg (100% quantile)
experimental_warming_decrease_arthropod_diversity_biomass.xlsx: This Excel workbook contains all data sheets listed above combined and separated by tab.