Acclimation effects on critical and lethal thermal limits of workers of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile

Jumbam, Keafon R; Jackson, Susan; Terblanche, John S.; McGeoch, Mélodie A.; Chown, Steven Loudon

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2008.03.011

Cited by 72 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…January soil temperatures north of current North Carolinian infestations remained below 5ЊC long enough to prevent successful establishment. Jumbam et al (2008) found weak support for shortterm acclimation of L. humile to sub-zero temperatures over 4 hr. We observed no acclimation effects when we subjected our Þeld and laboratory colonies to Ϫ2ЊC for 24 Ð72 h. It appears that any cold temperature acclimation effects are measured in hours rather than days.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…L. humile is most likely to be evident in areas where mid-winter mean daily temperatures range between 7Ð14ЊC (Hartley et al 2006). Prolonged exposure to subfreezing temperatures are lethal to L. humile (Herbert 1932, Jumbam et al 2008. However, L. humile is known to escape adverse winter conditions by nesting in the top few centimeters of soil (Newell andBarber 1913, Heller andGordon 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Northward Expansion of the InvasiveLinepithema humile(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Eastern United States is Constrained by Winter Soil Temperatures

2010

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The invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has been evident in the North Carolina Piedmont, United States for 90 yr but has failed to spread further north. We investigated the mechanisms preventing this expansion. The Argentine ant ceases foraging at temperatures below 5°C and we hypothesized that winter soil temperatures at higher latitudes restricted foraging long enough to cause colony starvation. We tested if the Argentine ant could successfully feed at temperatures below 5°C and found that colonies would starve. We subjected Argentine ant nests to a range of sub- and above-freezing temperatures and measured worker mortality at various time intervals. We found that Argentine ant colonies will collapse after 8.5 d at 5°C. Argentine ants can escape ambient cold temperatures by moving nests into the soil column. We tested how deeply into the soil Argentine ant queens and workers need to move to survive winter in North Carolina. Soil temperatures in the North Carolina Piedmont do not fall below 5°C for longer than nine consecutive days; therefore, Argentine ant colonies need only to retreat a few centimeters into the soil column to escape unsuitable temperatures. Winter soil temperature data from four climate stations situated from latitudes 35°, the current Eastern United States latitudinal limit for Argentine ant population expansion, to 39° were searched for periods where soil temperatures would have led to colony extirpation. North of their current distributions, extended periods of soil temperatures below 5°C regularly occur, preventing Argentine ant colonies from persisting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

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confidence: 99%

Northward Expansion of the InvasiveLinepithema humile(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Eastern United States is Constrained by Winter Soil Temperatures

2010

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“…Climatic suitability sets the abiotic conditions that allow species to establish and spread, and climate matching has been identified as a key factor for invasion of many invasive species (9,30). This is especially true for the Argentine ant, whose occurrence at regional scales is highly constrained by temperature and humidity (25,26,31,32). At local scales, establishment by the Argentine ant in climatically favorable areas is also favored by anthropogenic factors (33,34 In its native range, the abundance and impact of the Argentine ant may be constrained by the presence of highly dominant native ant species in the same subfamily (Dolichoderinae) (18).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative roles of climatic suitability and anthropogenic influence in determining the pattern of spread in a global invader

Roura‐Pascual

Hui

Ikeda

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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136

124

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Because invasive species threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, a major goal in ecology is to develop predictive models to determine which species may become widespread and where they may invade. Indeed, considerable progress has been made in understanding the factors that influence the local pattern of spread for specific invaders and the factors that are correlated with the number of introduced species that have become established in a given region. However, few studies have examined the relative importance of multiple drivers of invasion success for widespread species at global scales. Here, we use a dataset of >5,000 presence/absence records to examine the interplay between climatic suitability, biotic resistance by native taxa, humanaided dispersal, and human modification of habitats, in shaping the distribution of one of the world's most notorious invasive species, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Climatic suitability and the extent of human modification of habitats are primarily responsible for the distribution of this global invader. However, we also found some evidence for biotic resistance by native communities. Somewhat surprisingly, and despite the often cited importance of propagule pressure as a crucial driver of invasions, metrics of the magnitude of international traded commodities among countries were not related to global distribution patterns. Together, our analyses on the global-scale distribution of this invasive species provide strong evidence for the interplay of biotic and abiotic determinants of spread and also highlight the challenges of limiting the spread and subsequent impact of highly invasive species.iological invasions can disrupt ecosystem functioning, homogenize biota, and threaten global diversity (1). To mitigate the often dramatic consequences of many invasive species on native ecosystems and the services they provide, a fundamental goal for conservation biology is to be able to predict which species will invade and which areas are most vulnerable to their invasion (2). Despite considerable efforts at both local and regional scales to elucidate the relative roles of biotic and abiotic conditions on the spread and impact of introduced species (e.g., refs. 3-6), understanding which factors limit the global distribution of species is still a largely unanswered question (7).One approach that has been relatively successful is to relate the number of invasive species established in a given area to factors that describe the region. For example, Pyšek et al. recently used up-to-date information on the presence of alien species from a variety of taxa to identify general predictors of the level of invasion (e.g., number of established species) across Europe (8). They found an overwhelming influence of anthropogenic factors (i.e., wealth and demography) in determining the distribution of alien species. Few studies consider the influence of environmental and human-mediated factors in shaping the global distribution of invasive species (8, 9), particularly for single species...

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“…Similarly, although time by temperature contour plots were previously commonly made (see Cossins and Bowler, 1987), this is often no longer done [but see e.g. Beitinger et al (Beitinger et al, 2000), Jumbam et al (Jumbam et al, 2008) and Stotter and Terblanche (Stotter and Terblanche, 2009) for obvious recent exceptions]. In comparing ramping to static experiments, one important consideration is the potential for cumulative heat (chill) damage that will depend on the rate of temperature increase (decrease), the actual temperatures and the duration of exposure at a particular temperature.…”

Section: Staticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecologically relevant measures of tolerance to potentially lethal temperatures

Terblanche

Hoffmann

Mitchell

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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375

370

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SummaryThe acute thermal tolerance of ectotherms has been measured in a variety of ways; these include assays where organisms are shifted abruptly to stressful temperatures and assays where organisms experience temperatures that are ramped more slowly to stressful levels. Ramping assays are thought to be more relevant to natural conditions where sudden abrupt shifts are unlikely to occur often, but it has been argued that thermal limits established under ramping conditions are underestimates of true thermal limits because stresses due to starvation and/or desiccation can arise under ramping. These confounding effects might also impact the variance and heritability of thermal tolerance. We argue here that ramping assays are useful in capturing aspects of ecological relevance even though there is potential for confounding effects of other stresses that can also influence thermal limits in nature. Moreover, we show that the levels of desiccation and starvation experienced by ectotherms in ramping assays will often be minor unless the assays involve small animals and last for many hours. Empirical data illustrate that the combined effects of food and humidity on thermal limits under ramping and sudden shifts to stressful conditions are unpredictable; in Drosophila melanogaster the presence of food decreased rather than increased thermal limits, whereas in Ceratitis capitata they had little impact. The literature provides examples where thermal limits are increased under ramping presumably because of the potential for physiological changes leading to acclimation. It is unclear whether heritabilities and population differentiation will necessarily be lower under ramping because of confounding effects. Although it is important to clearly define experimental methods, particularly when undertaking comparative assessments, and to understand potential confounding effects, thermotolerance assays based on ramping remain an important tool for understanding and predicting species responses to environmental change. An important area for further development is to identify the impact of rates of temperature change under field and laboratory conditions.

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Acclimation effects on critical and lethal thermal limits of workers of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile

Cited by 72 publications

References 76 publications

Northward Expansion of the InvasiveLinepithema humile(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Eastern United States is Constrained by Winter Soil Temperatures

Northward Expansion of the InvasiveLinepithema humile(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Eastern United States is Constrained by Winter Soil Temperatures

Relative roles of climatic suitability and anthropogenic influence in determining the pattern of spread in a global invader

Ecologically relevant measures of tolerance to potentially lethal temperatures

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