Fig 1.
Map showing the current extent of rainforest (green shading) in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion (grey shading), with locations of sampling sites indicated by triangles, with numbers representing elevation (‘00 m a.s.l.).
Reprinted from [15] under a CC BY license, with permission from Kyran M. Staunton, original copyright 2014.
Fig 2.
NMDS of samples from different techniques, based on species frequencies of occurrence.
Each point represents a sample from one site.
Table 1.
Ant species occurring in at least three plots that were recorded from single subregions.
Fig 3.
Individual-based rarefaction curves (solid) and extrapolation of the curves (dashed) in each of the six subregions based on pooled data across all sampling periods (including the 2009 pitfall trapping) for Spec, Atherton, Carbine and Windsor, and from the 2011/2012 wet season only for Finnegan and Lamb Range.
Numbers represent the percentage of observed species richness as proportions of Chao 1 estimated richness. The grey shading represents 95% confidence intervals.
Fig 4.
Mean site species richness at (A) all six subregions, using 2011–2012 wet season data, and (B) each of the four main subregions, based on data pooled across all sampling periods. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. In both cases there were no statistically significant differences between subregions.
Fig 5.
Variation in mean plot richness across elevational gradients at Windsor, Carbine, Atherton and Spec, based on data pooled across all sampling periods.
Different letters indicate significant differences between elevations within a subregion.
Fig 6.
(A) NMDS of ant community composition captured from all 26 sites, based on species frequency data from 2011/12 wet season samples. Numbers next to each point represent elevation (‘00 m a.s.l.). (B) Cluster dendrogram based on dissimilarity in species composition, using the same data; sites at 600 m or lower elevation are shown in bold.
Fig 7.
A-D. NMDS of ant community composition in plots at the four main subregions, based on species frequencies from pooled data across all four sampling periods. Significantly different (P<0.01) communities are shown by convex hulls. Significantly correlated (P<0.01) species are represented by vectors, with vector length proportional to level of significance. Species codes are: Ang = Anonychomyrma gilberti, AnA = Anonychomyrma sp. A nr. gilberti, AnB = Anonychomyrma sp. B (biconvexa gp.), AnD = Anonychomyrma sp. D (biconvexa gp.), AnE = Anonychomyrma sp. E (nitidiceps gp.), AnG = Anonychomyrma sp. G (nitidiceps gp.), AnM = Anonychomyrma sp. M, CaH = Carebara sp. H, CrH = Crematogaster sp. H, DiB = Discothyrea sp. B, Leu = Leptomyrmex unicolor, LoA = Lordomyrma sp. A (punctiventris gp.), Meh = Meranoplus hirsutus, MoB = Monomorium sp. B (nigrius gp.), Myn = Myrmecia nigrocincta, Mya = Myrmecina alpina, Nyg = Nylanderia glabrior, Odc = Odontomachus cephalotes, PhA1 = Pheidole sp.A1 (ampla gp.), PhA2 = Pheidole sp.A2 (ampla gp.), PhA4 = Pheidole sp.A4 (ampla gp.),PhA8 = Pheidole sp.A8 (ampla gp.), PhA10 = Pheidole sp.A10 (ampla gp.), PhA11 = Pheidole sp.A11 (ampla gp.), PhA12 = Pheidole sp. A12 (ampla gp.), PhA13 = Pheidole sp. A13 (ampla gp.), PhA15 = Pheidole sp.A15 (ampla gp.), PhA23 = Pheidole sp.A23 (ampla gp.), Ph.A30 = Pheidole sp.A30 (ampla gp.), PhI = Pheidole sp.I1 (impressiceps gp.), PhF1 = Pheidole sp.F1 (Group F), PhL4 = Pheidole sp.L4 (longiceps gp.), PrD = Prolasius sp.D, Rhs = Rhytidoponera scaberrima, Rhi = Rhytidoponera impressa, Rhk = Rhytidoponera kurandensis, Rhp = Rhytidoponera purpurea, StA = Stigmacros sp.A, Sty = Strumigenys yaleopteura, Ten = Technomyrmex nitens, Teb = Tetramorium bicarinatum, Tep = Tetramorium pacificum.
Table 2.
ANOSIM results from comparisons of site species composition between each pair of subregions based on species frequency in 2011/2012 wet season samples.
Numbers below the diagonal are dissimilarity indices, and those above are P values (P<0.05 in bold).