Great Western Woodlands Ant Abundance and Functional Classification Across Time Since Fire Chronosequence Data 

This data contains ant species abundance, richness and functional groups sampled across a time since fire chronosequence exceeding 300 years in non-resprouting Eucalyptus salubris woodlands. 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Funding was provided by: Department of Parks and Wildlife’s “A biodiversity and cultural conservation strategy for the Great Western Woodlands” Project: Great Western Woodlands Supersite. Australian SuperSite Network. Other funding: Australian Transect Network and CSIRO Land and Water 

Ants are Australia’s dominant faunal group in terms of biomass and energy flow. They occupy all trophic levels, act as ecosystem engineers, feature in many mutualistic interactions with plants, and are a key food resource for many vertebrates. Ants are also Australia’s best studied insect group in terms of biogeography and community dynamics. They are the most widely used invertebrate bio-indicators in environmental assessment and monitoring. 

Plot selection
A subset (51 of 72) of the sites established by Gosper et al. (2013a,b) in Eucalyptus salubris woodland across a time since fire chronosequence were selected. Site details can be found in Gosper et al. (2013b).
Ant sampling
Ants were sampled using 20 pitfall traps per site, in a grid with 10 m spacing, and operated for 48 hrs. All sites were sampled over the period 16- to 29-Oct-2012. Full details can be found in Gosper et al. (2015). Traps were plastic specimen containers, 40 mm diameter and 52 mm depth, and partly filled (~40 mL) with ethylene glycol as a preservative.
Ant sorting and classification
In each trap ants were sorted into species. The abundance of any species in a single trap was capped at 50 in order to prevent data distortions from traps placed near nest entrances or foraging trails. Ant species were assigned to a functional group following Andersen (1995, 1997) and Hoffmann and Andersen (2003).