Supporting data for “Multidimensional impacts of invasive ants on native community structure and function: automated image analysis, temperature adaptation, and invasion stage dynamics”

Global ecosystems are facing profound impacts from invasive species. As key ecological engineers, ants play a crucial role, and their invasions significantly affect the species and functional diversity of native communities. This thesis combines laboratory data, field observations, automatic video analysis and other methods to construct a multidimensional feature dataset (including foraging behavior and morphological traits) to systematically investigate the effects of different invasive ants on native communities. These findings not only comprehensively reveal the impacts of various invasive ants on the structure and function of native communities but also provide a theoretical framework for understanding the dynamic effect of biological invasions. Moreover, they contribute to future ecological conservation efforts and inform decision-making for invasive species management.

Chapter 2 presents the design of an automated image analysis system that integrates imaging devices with object detection software, enhancing the efficiency of data collection and analysis of ant community behavior. This technology provides more precise data support for in-depth studies on ant foraging behavior. Chapter 3 integrates critical thermal maximum (CT_max) data with field observation data to investigate the thermal adaptation strategies of native ants and five different exotic ant species. Additionally, it examines how temperature change influences their competitive dynamics. The study reveals that, while exotic ants exhibit distinct competitive strategies in terms of thermal adaptability, climate warming may universally facilitate their further expansion. Chapter 4 analyzes the impacts of both single-species and co-invasion scenarios on ant communities, revealing how different invasive species affect the species and function diversity of native communities. Additionally, it examines the interactions among multiple invasive species (co-invasion) and their influence on communities. The study finds that, in certain cases, competition among invasive species can partially mitigate the disruption of native ecosystems. Such mitigation, however, remains inherently fragile and temporary, emphasizing the critical need for proactive prevention and targeted control strategies in invasive species management to ensure long-term ecosystem resilience. Chapter 5 explores the stage-specific impacts of invasive ants on native community structures. The findings suggest that, under low-level invasions, niche differentiation facilitates species coexistence, whereas high- level invasions lead to competitive exclusion, restricting the ecological space of native species and ultimately driving community homogenization and biodiversity decline. Therefore, adaptive management strategies should be dynamically adjusted based on invasion stages to alleviate ecological pressure and minimize long-term impacts.