Data from: Seasonal and interannual variation on social wasps’ assemblages in two habitats of a seasonally dry tropical forest region

Published May 12, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x0k6djhmn

Data files

May 12, 2026 version files 49.25 KB

data_complete.xlsx

41.53 KB
README.md

7.73 KB

Abstract

The patterns of the spatial distribution of insects in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) are strongly influenced by marked seasonal fluctuations. Tropical arthropod seasonality has been linked to multiple factors, ranging from microclimate changes to large-scale environmental processes. The group of social wasps includes eusocial organisms that play essential roles in ecosystems, acting as pollinators and predators. This study examines the variation in abundance and species richness according to season, rainfall, and temperature in an area of the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which has distinct vegetation characteristics. Four years of continuous sampling with Malaise traps constituted the medium-term data used in our study. During dry seasons, populations of xerophytic vegetation experienced significant decreases in abundance, which were associated with decreased rainfall; however, we did not observe the same effect in evergreen vegetation. Mesic habitats have less variation in food resources, which may have kept populations active during droughts. However, during wet periods, especially after heavy rainfall, more individuals were recorded in the xeric area compared with the mesic area. Using results from social wasp populations, we conclude that the spatio-temporal dynamics of insects in forest areas with seasonal characteristics are greatly affected by factors such as the landscape composition and mainly by the distribution of rainfall.

https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x0k6djhmn

Overview

This dataset accompanies the manuscript “Seasonal and interannual variation on social wasps’ assemblages in two habitats of a seasonally dry tropical forest region”. The study evaluates how social wasp assemblages vary across seasons, years, rainfall, temperature, and habitat type in a seasonally dry tropical forest region of the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil.

The dataset is based on continuous sampling with Malaise traps in two contrasting vegetation habitats. Social wasp occurrence records are provided together with environmental variables measured for each sampling date.

File included

File name: data_complete.xlsx
Format: Microsoft Excel workbook (.xlsx)
Number of sheets: 2

The workbook contains the following sheets:

social wasps — social wasp occurrence records by species, sampling date, season, habitat/area, and trap.
environment — environmental variables associated with sampling dates, including rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity.

Missing values

No empty cells or missing values were detected in the uploaded workbook during preparation of this README.

If any missing or unavailable values are added in future versions of the dataset, they should be coded consistently as n/a. In that case, n/a should indicate that the information was not available, could not be reliably determined, or was not applicable to the corresponding record. Values coded as n/a should not be interpreted as zeros.

Date format

The variable DAY is stored as an Excel serial date. When the file is opened in spreadsheet software, the values may be displayed as dates depending on the cell formatting. When importing the data into R or another programming environment, convert DAY to calendar dates using the Excel date origin.

For example, in R:

data$DAY <- as.Date(data$DAY, origin = "1899-12-30")

The social wasps sheet contains occurrence records from 7 November 2009 to 27 October 2013. The environment sheet contains the corresponding environmental records for the same sampling period.

Data dictionary

Sheet: `social wasps`

This sheet contains the social wasp occurrence records. Each row represents one captured individual or occurrence record of a social wasp in a given trap and sampling date.

Variable	Description	Units / categories
`SPECIES`	Scientific name or morphospecies identification of the social wasp recorded.	Taxonomic names. Species/morphospecies recorded in the dataset include: Agelaia pallipes, Apoica pallens, Brachygastra lecheguana, Chartegellus communis, Mischocitarrus rotundicollis, Polistes canadensis, Polistes simillimus, Polybia gr occidentalis, Polybia ignobilis, Polybia paulista, Polybia sericea, Polybia sp1, Proctonectarina sylveirae, Protopolybia diligeus, and Protopolybia exigua.
`DAY`	Sampling date. Values are stored as Excel serial dates.	Date; convert using origin `1899-12-30` if importing as numeric values.
`MONTH`	Month of sampling.	Categorical variable with month names in English: `JANUARY`, `FEBRUARY`, `MARCH`, `APRIL`, `MAY`, `JUNE`, `JULY`, `AUGUST`, `SEPTEMBER`, `OCTOBER`, `NOVEMBER`, `DECEMBER`.
`SEASON`	Seasonal period assigned to each sampling date.	Categorical variable. `DRY` = dry season; `GREEN` = rainy/green season.
`AREA`	Sampled habitat/area.	Categorical variable. `CAA` and `CIL` identify the two sampled habitats used in the manuscript. Based on the manuscript description, these correspond to the xeric/xerophytic and mesic/evergreen vegetation habitats, respectively.
`TRAP`	Malaise trap identifier.	Categorical variable. Trap codes include `A1`, `A2`, `A3`, `B1`, `B2`, and `B3`.

Sheet: `environment`

This sheet contains environmental variables associated with each sampling date.

Variable	Description	Units / categories
`DAY`	Sampling date associated with the environmental measurements. Values are stored as Excel serial dates. This variable can be used to link environmental data to the `social wasps` sheet.	Date; convert using origin `1899-12-30` if importing as numeric values.
`RAINFALL`	Rainfall recorded for the sampling interval or sampling date.	Millimeters (mm).
`TEMPERATURE`	Air temperature associated with the sampling date.	Degrees Celsius (°C).
`HUMIDITY (%)`	Relative humidity associated with the sampling date.	Percentage (%).

Abbreviations and categorical legends

CAA = one of the two sampled habitats/areas; used in the manuscript to represent the xeric/xerophytic vegetation habitat.
CIL = one of the two sampled habitats/areas; used in the manuscript to represent the mesic/evergreen vegetation habitat.
DRY = dry season.
GREEN = rainy or green season.
DAY = sampling date stored as an Excel serial date.
RAINFALL = rainfall in millimeters.
TEMPERATURE = air temperature in degrees Celsius.
HUMIDITY (%) = relative humidity in percent.

Suggested citation

If using this dataset, please cite the associated manuscript:

Brito, E. L. S. et al. Seasonal and interannual variation on social wasps’ assemblages in two habitats of a seasonally dry tropical forest region. Manuscript submitted to Biotropica.

Notes for reproducibility

The two sheets can be linked using the DAY variable. The social wasps sheet provides biological records, while the environment sheet provides environmental predictors for the corresponding sampling dates. Analyses of abundance, richness, seasonality, or habitat differences can aggregate the occurrence records by date, season, area, trap, or species and then merge them with the environmental data by DAY.

When importing the Excel file into R, users should check that date columns are correctly interpreted as dates. If they are imported as numeric Excel serial dates, convert them using:

as.Date(DAY, origin = "1899-12-30")