An invasive ant distribution database to support biosecurity risk analysis in the Pacific

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica A. M. Gruber ◽  
Meghan Cooling ◽  
Allan R. Burne
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
The Pacific

Invasive species are one of the most serious threats to biodiversity. Up-to-date and accurate information on the distribution of invasive species is an important biosecurity risk analysis tool. Several databases are available to determine the distributions of invasive and native species. However, keeping this information current is a real challenge. Ants are among the most widespread invasive species. Five species of ants are listed in the IUCN list of damaging invasive species, and many other species are also invasive in the Pacific. We sought to determine and update the distribution information for the 18 most problematic invasive ant species in the Pacific to assist Small Island Developing States with risk analysis. We compared the information on six public databases, conducted a literature review, and contacted experts on invasive ants in the Pacific region to resolve conflicting information. While most public records were accurate we found some new records had not yet been incorporated in the public databases, and some information was inaccurate. The maintenance of public databases faces an enormous challenge in balancing completeness (~15 000 ant species in this case) with accuracy (the impossibility of constantly surveying) and utility.

scholarly journals Invasive ants reduce abundance of small rainforest skinks

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Lach ◽  
Dylan Case ◽  
Peter Yeeles ◽  
Conrad J. Hoskin
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Main Method ◽  
Invertebrate Prey ◽  
Lower Abundance ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Direct Threat

AbstractInvasive ants are among the world’s most damaging invasive species, often directly or indirectly affecting native fauna. Insecticidal baits are the main method for suppressing or eradicating invasive ant populations, but their use must be considered against potential for unintended effects on native organisms. The invasive yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracillipes) is widespread in the tropics, particularly on islands, where they have displaced a range of invertebrates. Effects of this ant on vertebrates, and in continental ecosystems generally, are less studied. We investigated the effects of yellow crazy ants and bait application on rainforest skinks and their invertebrate prey. We compared skink and skink prey abundance across four replicated rainforest site categories: high and low yellow crazy ant sites had both been baited but differed in yellow crazy ant activity; control sites had never had yellow crazy ants or been baited; and buffer sites had never had yellow crazy ants but had been baited. We recorded significantly lower abundance of two small skink species (Lygisaurus laevis and Saproscincus tetradactylus) in high yellow crazy ant sites compared to all other site categories. The differences persisted even after baiting reduced yellow crazy ant activity by 97.8% ± 0.04% (mean ± SD). A larger rainforest skink species (Carlia rubrigularis) was not negatively affected by yellow crazy ant invasion. Skink prey abundance was significantly lower in high yellow crazy ant sites compared to control sites and low yellow crazy ant sites, but not compared to buffer sites. These differences did not persist following baiting. We found no evidence that baiting negatively affects skinks or their invertebrate prey. Our data suggest that yellow crazy ants, but not the bait used to treat them, pose a direct threat to small rainforest skinks.

scholarly journals Mutualism between co-introduced species facilitates invasion and alters plant community structure

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1800) ◽  
pp. 20142846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten M. Prior ◽  
Jennifer M. Robinson ◽  
Shannon A. Meadley Dunphy ◽  
Megan E. Frederickson
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Ant Community ◽  
Aphaenogaster Rudis ◽  
Poor Seed

Generalized mutualisms are often predicted to be resilient to changes in partner identity. Variation in mutualism-related traits between native and invasive species however, can exacerbate the spread of invasive species (‘invasional meltdown’) if invasive partners strongly interact. Here we show how invasion by a seed-dispersing ant ( Myrmica rubra ) promotes recruitment of a co-introduced invasive over native ant-dispersed (myrmecochorous) plants. We created experimental communities of invasive ( M. rubra ) or native ants ( Aphaenogaster rudis ) and invasive and native plants and measured seed dispersal and plant recruitment. In our mesocosms, and in laboratory and field trials, M. rubra acted as a superior seed disperser relative to the native ant. By contrast, previous studies have found that invasive ants are often poor seed dispersers compared with native ants. Despite belonging to the same behavioural guild, seed-dispersing ants were not functionally redundant. Instead, native and invasive ants had strongly divergent effects on plant communities: the invasive plant dominated in the presence of the invasive ant and the native plants dominated in the presence of the native ant. Community changes were not due to preferences for coevolved partners: variation in functional traits of linked partners drove differences. Here, we show that strongly interacting introduced mutualists can be major drivers of ecological change.

scholarly journals A neurotoxic pesticide changes the outcome of aggressive interactions between native and invasive ants

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1772) ◽  
pp. 20132157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael F. Barbieri ◽  
Philip J. Lester ◽  
Alexander S. Miller ◽  
Ken G. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Survival Probability ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Probability Of Survival ◽  
Target Exposure

Neurotoxic pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, negatively affect the cognitive capacity and fitness of non-target species, and could also modify interspecific interactions. We tested whether sublethal contamination with neonicotinoid could affect foraging, colony fitness and the outcome of behavioural interactions between a native ( Monomorium antarcticum ) and an invasive ant species ( Linepithema humile ). The foraging behaviour of both ants was not affected by neonicotinoid exposure. Colonies of the invasive species exposed to the neonicotinoid produced significantly fewer brood. In interspecific confrontations, individuals of the native species exposed to the neonicotinoid lowered their aggression towards the invasive species, although their survival probability was not affected. Exposed individuals of the invasive species interacting with non-exposed native ants displayed increased aggression and had their survival probability reduced. Non-exposed individuals of the invasive species were less aggressive but more likely to survive when interacting with exposed native ants. These results suggest that non-target exposure of invaders to neonicotinoids could either increase or decrease the probability of survival according to the exposure status of the native species. Given that, in any community, different species have different food preferences, and thus different exposure to pesticides, non-target exposure could potentially change the dynamics of communities and influence invasion success.

scholarly journals Native and non-native sources of carbohydrate correlate with abundance of an invasive ant

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 155-175
Author(s):  
Lori Lach ◽  
Benjamin D. Hoffmann ◽  
Melinda L. Moir
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Carbohydrate Availability ◽  
Arnhem Land ◽  
Study Sites

Invasive species threaten many ecological communities and predicting which communities and sites are invasible remains a key goal of invasion ecology. Although invasive ants often reach high abundances in association with plant-based carbohydrate resources, the source and provenance of these resources are rarely investigated. We characterized carbohydrate resources across ten sites with a range of yellow crazy ant abundance in Arnhem Land, Australia and New Caledonia to determine whether yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) abundance and trophic position correlate with carbohydrate availability, as well as the relative importance of native and non-native sources of carbohydrates to ant diet. In both locations, measures of yellow crazy ant abundance strongly positively correlated with carbohydrate availability, particularly honeydew production, the number of tended hemipterans, and the number of plants with tended hemipterans. In Arnhem Land, 99.6% of honeydew came from native species, whereas in New Caledonia, only 0.2% of honeydew was produced by a native hemipteran. More honeydew was available in Australia due to three common large-bodied species of Auchenorrhyncha honeydew producers (treehoppers and leafhoppers). Yellow crazy ant trophic position declined with increasing yellow crazy ant abundance indicating that in greater densities the ants are obtaining more of their diet from plant-derived resources, including honeydew and extrafloral nectar. The relationships between yellow crazy ant abundance and carbohydrate availability could not be explained by any of the key environmental variables we measured at our study sites. Our results demonstrate that the positive correlation between yellow crazy ant abundance and honeydew production is not contingent upon the provenance of the hemipterans. Native sources of carbohydrate may play an underappreciated role in greatly increasing community invasibility by ants.

scholarly journals Time Lags and Niche Shifts in a Biological Invasion of Hummingbirds

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Battey
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Realized Niche ◽  
The North ◽  
Introduced Plants ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Niche Shifts ◽  
Calypte Anna

Shifts in a species’ realized niche can lead to rapid population growth by increasing the carrying capacity of local habitats and allowing colonization of new areas. This process is well known in “invasive” species introduced to novel ranges by humans, but can also occur when native species expand their range. In these cases expansions may be driven either by a shift in the available environment or by a shift in the species’ use of existing niche space, but identifying the specific environmental or behavioral changes involved is often hindered by time lags in the process of colonization. Here I document a century of range shifts in the Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) and show that recent abundance in the Pacific Northwest is the product of a series of range and niche expansions that started in the early 20thcentury following the spread of garden cultivation and introduced plant species in California. Demographic trends in the northwest have tracked simple models of exponential growth since populations became established in the 1960’s and 70’s, and nest records suggest that the species has delayed the beginning of the breeding season by at least 18 days in the north. Niche models trained on historic climate and occurrence data fail to predict the modern range, suggesting that climate change is not the primary cause of the expansion. Range expansions in the Anna’s Hummingbird thus closely track the dynamics of an invasive species spreading across a novel range, and were made possible by a mix of introduced plants, phenological acclimation, and an expansion of the realized climatic niche.

High predatory efficiency and abundance drive expected ecological impacts of a marine invasive fish

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 195-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
EM DeRoy ◽  
R Scott ◽  
NE Hussey ◽  
HJ MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Eastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Grouper ◽  
Per Capita

The ecological impacts of invasive species are highly variable and mediated by many factors, including both habitat and population abundance. Lionfish Pterois volitans are an invasive marine species which have high reported detrimental effects on prey populations, but whose effects relative to native predators are currently unknown for the recently colonized eastern Gulf of Mexico. We used functional response (FR) methodology to assess the ecological impact of lionfish relative to 2 functionally similar native species (red grouper Epinephelus morio and graysby grouper Cephalopholis cruentata) foraging in a heterogeneous environment. We then combined the per capita impact of each species with their field abundance to obtain a Relative Impact Potential (RIP). RIP assesses the broader ecological impact of invasive relative to native predators, the magnitude of which predicts community-level negative effects of invasive species. Lionfish FR and overall consumption rate was intermediate to that of red grouper (higher) and graysby grouper (lower). However, lionfish had the highest capture efficiency of all species, which was invariant of habitat. Much higher field abundance of lionfish resulted in high RIPs relative to both grouper species, demonstrating that the ecological impact of lionfish in this region will be driven mainly by high abundance and high predator efficiency rather than per capita effect. Our comparative study is the first empirical assessment of lionfish per capita impact and RIP in this region and is one of few such studies to quantify the FR of a marine predator.

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