Plant species distribution, seed dispersal traits, and environmental data for southwest Australia

Plant distribution data from the Western Australia Herbarium. Environmental data from worldclim (climate) and the Australian Natural Resources Data Library (soils). See publication for details

Prairie dog SNA data for upload

Contains information on individuals (body mass, behavior, group size, sex, age, betweenness centrality and degree centrality

Tradeoffs in the Evolution of Caste and Body Size in the Hyperdiverse Ant Genus <em>Pheidole</em>

<div><p>The efficient investment of resources is often the route to ecological success, and the adaptability of resource investment may play a critical role in promoting biodiversity. The ants of the “hyperdiverse” genus <em>Pheidole</em> produce two discrete sterile castes, soldiers and minor workers. Within <em>Pheidole</em>, there is tremendous interspecific variation in proportion of soldiers. The causes and correlates of caste ratio variation among species of <em>Pheidole</em> remain enigmatic. Here we test whether a body size threshold model accounts for interspecific variation in caste ratio in <em>Pheidole</em>, such that species with larger body sizes produce relatively fewer soldiers within their colonies. We evaluated the caste ratio of 26 species of <em>Pheidole</em> and found that the body size of workers accounts for interspecific variation in the production of soldiers as we predicted. Twelve species sampled from one forest in Costa Rica yielded the same relationship as found in previously published data from many localities. We conclude that production of soldiers in the most species-rich group of ants is regulated by a body size threshold mechanism, and that the great variation in body size and caste ratio in <em>Pheidole</em> plays a role in niche divergence in this rapidly evolving taxon.</p> </div

Map showing site locations for Experiment 1 in 2016.

<p>Sites 1–4 are urban locations in Raleigh, North Carolina (McGuire Dr., Falls of Neuse Rd., Harp St., and Varsity Dr., respectively), sites 5–6 are suburban locations (Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest and Hemlock Bluffs State Nature Preserve, respectively), and sites 7–8 are rural locations (G.W. Hill Demonstration Forest and White Pines Nature Preserve, respectively). Side panels show detailed examples of an urban site (upper panel: Harp. St, site 3), a suburban site (middle panel: Hemlock Bluffs State Nature Preserve, site 6), and a rural site (lower panel: White Pines Nature Preserve, site 8). Dates of gas exchange measurements are given in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0197866#pone.0197866.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>. The images in Fig 1 were obtained from the USGS LandsatLook Viewer (images accessed April 18, 2018; <a href="https://landsatlook.usgs.gov/" target="_blank">https://landsatlook.usgs.gov/</a>). The images have been annotated with identifying information.</p

ESM Table 1. Examples of research in cities. from Getting ahead of the curve: cities as surrogates for global change

Examples of research in cities since 2003, where species responses to variation in climate or urban variables were measured. Type indicates whether research was performed within-city (U; Urban), along an urban-rural gradient (U-R), or along a latitudinal gradient (L). Locations are shown by 2-letter country codes, with state or city in parentheses. Variables measured include climate variables: Temperature (T), Carbon Dioxide (C), Ozone (O), Nitrogen deposition (N), Soil moisture (S), and Relative Humidity (RH), and urban variables (U). Examples are limited to studies with plants or arthropods as focal taxa

ESM Figure 3. The effect of temperature on an urban multi-trophic interaction. from Getting ahead of the curve: cities as surrogates for global change

The effects of temperature on a multi-trophic interaction between willow oaks (Quercus phellos), scale insects (Parthenolecanium quercifex) and parasitic wasps, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. The range map for willow oak (C) is from the USDA Plants Database; https://plants.usda.gov; data accessed June, 2017. Photo credits: Emily Meineke (A, B), Andrew Ernst (D, E)

General linear mixed models test the effects of site type, tree diameter, and air temperature on gas exchange.

<p>General linear mixed models test the effects of site type, tree diameter, and air temperature on gas exchange.</p

Proportional investment in soldiers, minor worker body size and soldier body size mapped on to the <i>Pheidole</i> phylogeny.

<p>Traits are scaled and centered, with filled circles representing values above the mean trait value and open circles representing values below the mean trait value. Larger circles indicate greater distance from the mean trait value. “×” indicates trait data not available. Mean trait values are reported when data from multiple populations of a single species were available.</p

Mean rates of gas exchange during Experiment 2 in 2017.

<p>Photosynthesis (upper panel), stomatal conductance (middle panel) and instantaneous water use efficiency (the ratio of photosynthesis to stomatal conductance; lower panel) are shown. Open circles represent planted cultivars and filled circles represent wildtype trees, combined among sites. Lines represent model predictions for planted cultivars (dashed line) and wildtype trees (solid line), after accounting for effects of tree diameter and site.</p

Proportional investment in soldiers is a function of body size.

<p>Panel A indicates the relationship between soldier investment and minor worker head width (mm); Panel B indicates the relationship between soldier investment and soldier head width (mm). Linear regressions are indicated with grey solid lines.</p