CSPs: Ants (Formicidae) of pitfall traps in the CSPs 2009

Usage Rights

This data is Free for public.

This dataset can be used by any interested individual as long as the original publication is properly cited:

Staab, M., Schuldt, A., Assmann, T., Bruelheide, H. & Klein, A.M. (2014): Ant community structure during forest succession in a subtropical forest in South-East China. Acta Oecologica 61: 32-40.

Dataset Abstract

Pitfall traps (four traps per plot, located at the corners of the central 10 x 10 m subplot) were used to assess the activity abundance and species richness of Formicidae in relation to the plots' woody plant diversity. The data allow to test to what extent woody plant diversity affects the abundance, species composition and diversity of, e.g. predators (which might profit from higher structural diversity or better resource availability in more plant diverse plots) or opportunists (which might profit from more diverse resources in more plant diverse plots). Traps consisted of plastic cups (diameter 8.5 cm, depth 15 cm, capacity 550 ml) sunk into the ground and filled with 150 ml of preserving solution (40% ethanol, 30% water, 20% glycerol, 10% acetic acid, with a few drops of detergent to reduce surface tension) for continuous trapping. Sampling was conducted in 2009 for five months (30 March–2 September) and covered the main growing season. The traps were emptied and refilled at 14 day intervals. Taxa were sorted in the lab and specimens were identified to species or morphospecies level (within genera).

Dataset Design

Pitfall traps (four traps per plot, located at the corners of the central 10 x 10 m subplot);

Spatial Extent

Comparative Study Sites
29°08'-29°17'N
118°02'-118°11'E

Published

Staab, M., Schuldt, A., Assmann, T., Bruelheide, H. & Klein, A.M. (2014): Ant community structure during forest succession in a subtropical forest in South-East China. Acta Oecologica 61: 32-40.

Staab, M., Schuldt, A., Assmann, T. & Klein, A.M. (2014): Tree diversity promotes predator but not omnivore ants in a subtropical Chinese forest. Ecological Entomology 39: 637-647.

Temporal Extent

growing season 2009

Taxonomic Extent

Ants

Data Analysis

The data allow to test to what extent woody plant diversity affects the abundance, species composition and diversity of, e.g. predators (which might profit from higher structural diversity or better resource availability in more plant diverse plots) or decomposers (which might profit from more diverse resources in more plant diverse plots). For plant woody species richness, refer to the dataset "Comparative study plot (CSP) information to be shared with all BEF-China scientists" (http://china.befdata.biow.uni-leipzig.de/datasets/205). --- As in ants most ecological information is shared between members of a genus, the genus names are provided as separate data colum. ---- For general comparisons between sites subfamily data are usefull. Hence the subfamily names are provided as a separate data column. --- Untransformed ant individual numbers should only taken with caution for analysis.

Paper proposal submissions

Published

2013

• FOR891_sp09e foodweb, Staab, M.: 2013, Ant community structure during forest succession in a subtropical forest in South-East China, Proponents and dataowners: Alexandra-Maria Klein, Andreas Schuldt, Helge Bruelheide, Karin Nadrowski, Michael Staab, Thorsten Assmann, Citation: Biotropica
• FOR891_sp09e foodweb, Staab, M.: 2013, Tree diversity promotes predator but not omnivore ants in a subtropical Chinese forest, Proponents and dataowners: Alexandra-Maria Klein, Andreas Schuldt, Helge Bruelheide, Karin Nadrowski, Michael Staab, Thorsten Assmann, Citation: Ecological Entomology (2014): 39(5); 637–647

Data columns available in the raw data part of this dataset