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This dataset contains bird monitoring data from all core plots (natural and disturbed forest sites) from two different seasons(wet and dry season)at three different altitudes (1000, 2000, 3000 masl)over two years (2014 & 2015).

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Mycorrhizal state of epiphytic orchids was controversially discussed and state and mycobionts of the pleurothallidin orchids, occurring abundantly and with a high number of species on stems of trees in the Andean cloud forest, were unknown. Root samples of 77 adult individuals on total of the epiphytic orchids Stelis hallii, Stelis superbiens, Pleurothallis lilijae, and Stelis concinna were collected in a tropical mountain rain forest of southern Ecuador. Ultrastructural evidence of symbiotic interaction was combined with molecular sequencing of fungi directly from the mycorrhizas and isolation of mycobionts. Ultrastructural analyses displayed vital orchid mycorrhizas formed by fungi with an imperforate parenthesome and cell wall slime bodies typical for the genus Tulasnella. Three different Tulasnella isolates were obtained in pure culture. Phylogenetic analysis of the mycorrhiza forming Tulasnella and the Tulasnella isolates based on coding regions of the ribosomal large subunit (nucLSU) and the 5.8S subunit, including parts of the internal transcribed spacers, yielded seven distinct Tulasnella clades. Tulasnella mycobionts in Stelis concinna were restricted to two Tulasnella sequence types while the other orchids were associated with up to six Tulasnella sequence types. All Tulasnella sequences were new to science and distinct from known sequences of mycobionts of terrestrial orchids. These results indicate that tulasnelloid fungi, adapted to the conditions on tree stems, might be important for orchid growth and maintenance in the Andean cloud forest.

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Data from the PHD-thesis of Dr. Gunnar Brehm.
For additional information on methods and sites see:

Brehm, G. (2002): Diversity of geometrid moths in a montane rainforest in Ecuador. PHD-thesis. Available online at: http://opus.ub.uni-bayreuth.de/volltexte/2003/20/pdf/Dissertation_Gunnar_Brehm.pdf

Brehm, G., Süssenbach, D. and Fiedler, K. (2003): Unique elevational diversity patterns of geometrid moths in an Andean montane rainforest. Ecography 26: 456-466.

Brehm, G. and Fiedler, K. (2005): Diversity and community structure of geometrid moths of disturbed habitat in a montane area in the Ecuadorian Andes. J. Res. Lepid. 38: 1-14.

Brehm, G., Pitkin, L.M., Hilt, N. and Fiedler, K. (2005): Montane Andean rain forests are a global diversity hotspot of geometrid moths. J. Biogeogr. 32: 1621-1627.

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The mycobionts of 103 terrestrial and epiphytic orchid individuals, sampled in the RBSF from permanently estabished orchid plots, were identified by sequencing the whole ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and part of 28S rDNA. Tulasnellales, Sebacinales and for the first time Atractiellales were found.

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Ants data obtained by baiting with 6 used nutrients (water, salt solution, sugar solution, amino-acid solution, amino-acid-sugar solution, oil). Data were collected during the wet and the dry season 2014 on the coreplots and intermediate elevation levels (1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000) on disturbed and undisturbed forest plots. The predation data were collected using an artificial caterpillar approach.