Identification

Title

Mimetic host shifts in a social parasite of ants: Caterpillar survivors in Myrmica nests

Abstract

This dataset is part of the study of mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants, which is a joint study of the NERC's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology(UK), the University of Oxford(UK), University of Bialystok(Poland), Polish Academy of Sciences(Poland) and UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research(Germany). Combined with datasets collected from previous study, they compare the proportions of caterpillars of Maculinea rebeli being adopted by resident Myrmica ant species near Przemysl, Poland in autumn with proportions of successful survivors the following summer to establish host specificity of the socially parasitic butterfly species. The data comprise: the study year, the ant species, total number of ant nest, the number of caterpillar survivors found in the nest of each ant species, number of nests with caterpillar presence and total number of nests without caterpillar presence. They were obtained from one population for 4 years(Y2001, Y2003, Y2004, Y2005). Detailed research method can be found in Thomas et al. (2013) Mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants. Proc. R. Soc. B vol. 280 no.1751. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2336)

Resource type

dataset

Resource locator

https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/download?fileIdentifier=b472d635-d8fa-4c39-acfe-2b285ca0b9a8

name: Download the data

description: Get a copy of this data

function: order

http://eidc.ceh.ac.uk/metadata/b472d635-d8fa-4c39-acfe-2b285ca0b9a8/zip_export

name: Documents

description: Documents available to assist with re-use of this dataset.

function: information

Unique resource identifier

code

1351094647850

codeSpace

CEH:EIDC:

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

biota

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Conservation ecology

Keyword set

keyword value

Ecological Processes & Resilience

Animal behaviour

Pywell Section

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

-180

East bounding longitude

180

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

-90

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

2001-01-01

End position

2005-12-31

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2013-01-22

Frequency of update

notPlanned

Quality and validity

Lineage

Host specificity was measured by comparing the proportion of caterpillars that were adopted into different Myrmica nests with the proportion that survived to adulthood or pupation. Data were obtained from one population for 4 years near Przemy-l, s.e. Poland. The proportion of larvae adopted was estimated by baiting for ants beneath stratified random samples of gentians and by counting the number of eggs on each plant. Previous work had shown there was no difference in egg or larval survival on gentians growing in different ant territories, nor in the ratio of larvae retrieved from beneath plants by different ant species: the first Myrmica worker to encounter a larva retrieved it, and where two species overlapped there was no bias in retrieval towards one species. The distribution of the egg population on gentians is therefore an accurate surrogate for the distribution of the final instar population entering nests of each Myrmica species. Adult estimates of M. rebeli were obtained by recording eclosing individuals along stratified transects across sites, and identifying the nest after confirming that it contained an empty pupal case. Additional data were obtained by excavating all Myrmica nests near gentians along stratified transects that had supported known densities of eggs the previous year, and counting the pupae they contained. No mortality has been recorded in pupae in Myrmica cells before eclosion.

Conformity

Data format

name of format

Comma-separated values (CSV)

version of format

unknown

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

You must acknowledge this resource: Thomas et al. (2013) Mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants. Proc. R. Soc. B vol. 280 no.1751

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

Registration is required to access this data

publisher

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

organisation name

EIDC Hub

email address

eidc@ceh.ac.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2018-07-25T11:51:00

Metadata language

eng