Data Documentation: Dataset: Wasmannia auropunctata/Alecanochiton marquesi mutualism on Conostegia xalapensis in restored tropical forests Data file: Kulikowski_2020_ant_scale_restoration Funding was provided by NSF award DEB 1456520 and the UCSC ENVS Department. Author: Andy J. Kulikowski II Citation: Kulikowski II, AJ. 2020. Ant-scale mutualism increases scale infestation, decreases folivory, and disrupts biological control in restored tropical forests. Biotropica. In press. Data Collection: Data collected includes abundance data for A. marquesi in both March 2018 when the experiment began and June 2018 at the end of the experiment. Data also included mortality of A. marquesi due to fungi and parasitism, W. auropunctata abundance, and change in percent folivory on leaves of C. xalapensis after the end of the experiment in June 2018. Percent landscape forest cover at buffers out to 650 m are also included in the dataset. Landscape data was used with permission from Chase Mendenhall: Mendenhall, C. D., C. H. Sekercioglu, F. O. Brenes, P. R. Ehrlich, and G. C. Daily. 2011. Predictive model for sustaining biodiversity in tropical countryside. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108: 16313-16316. Methodology for data collection can be found in: Kulikowski II, AJ. 2020. Ant-scale mutualism increases scale infestation, decreases folivory, and disrupts biological control in restored tropical forests. Biotropica. In press. Data collected by Andy Kulikowski, Walter Hernandez, Maria Jose Monge, Fiorella Duran, and Michelle Pastor Data collected in March and June of 2018 Data collected near Agua Buena, Costa Rica at seven 0.25-ha2 plots separated by a minimum of 1 km Specimens collected included Wasmannia auropunctata ants and Alecanochiton marquesi scales Contact for project: Andy J. Kulikowski II - akulikow@ucsc.edu Data entry: Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 360 and processed in R Studio (VersionÊ1.2.5019) Data processing included creating new variables for difference in abundance of A. marquesi between March and June of 2018 and adjusting A. marquesi abundance based on ambient scale colonization in control treatments. Data were entered by Andy J. Kulikowski II Data were proofed by Andy J. Kulikowski II Contact for data: Andy J. Kulikowski II akulikow@ucsc.edu Variables: Site - column for one of seven restored forest sites in southern Costa Rica used in the study. In the paper text, these are synonymous with "plot". The following are descriptions of the acronyms for the seven sites which are mostly based on the original landowner names: EC = El Ceniso JG = Julio Gonzalez GN = Generoso HB = Heriberto LL = Loma Linda OM = Omar SG = San Gabriel Block - describes one of four (1-4) subplots of planted C. xalapensis seedlings in each plot. One seedling from each of the treatments described below composed each blocks. Seedling were placed ~ 1 m apart within blocks. Treatment - describes whether the seedling had ants excluded, allowed ants, or was used as a control to assess the ambient colonization of scale insects. The acronyms for the treatments are as follows: AX = C. xalapensis seedling with A. marquesi scale insects added and ants excluded. Referred to as ÐA+S in publication. AS = C. xalapensis seedling with A. marquesi scale insects added and ants not excluded. Referred to as +A+S in publication. C = C. xalapensis seedling with no manipulation of scales or ants scale_abun_mar18 - abundance of scales in March 2018 that colonized at the beginning of the experiment on each AX and AS seedling. Measured as counts of all individual scales scale_abun_jun18 - abundance of all scales living and dead in June 2018 at the end of the experiment on each seedling. Measured as counts of all individual scales. live_tot18 - abundance of scales in June 2018 that were living at the end of the experiment on each seedling. Measured as counts of all individual living scales. dead_tot18 - abundance of scales in June 2018 on each AS and AX seedling that were dead with evidence of attack by fungi/parasitoids. Measured as counts of individual scales that were attacked and killed by fungi/parasitoids. ant_tot18 - the abundance of W. auropunctata on each AS and AX seedling in June 2018 at the end of the experiment. Measured as counts of individual ants. herb_diff - the percent change in folivory over the course of the experiment averaged from three randomly selected leaves on each AS and AX seedling. Measured as leaf area eaten/total leaf area in June 2018 Ð leaf area eaten/total leaf area in March 2018. LS_50m - the percentage of forest cover at a 50-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_100m - the percentage of forest cover at a 100-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_150m - the percentage of forest cover at a 150-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_200m - the percentage of forest cover at a 200-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_250m - the percentage of forest cover at a 250-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_300m - the percentage of forest cover at a 300-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_350m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 350-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_400m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 400-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_450m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 450-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_500m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 500-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_550m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 550-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_600m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 600-m circular buffer around each restoration plot LS_650m Ð the percentage of forest cover at a 650-m circular buffer around each restoration plot