Boom and bust of the tawny Crazy Ant,<i>Nylanderia fulva</i>(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), on st. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Wetterer, James K.; Davis, Olasee; Williamson, Joe R.

doi:10.1653/024.097.0315

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Similar to what has been observed in some other invasive ants (Lester & Gruber, ), introduced N. fulva populations have been documented to undergo population declines in Colombia and the West Indies (Wetterer, Davis, & Williamson, ; Zenner‐Polania, ). Recently, we observed the decline of well‐established populations in Texas and similar phenomena have occurred in Florida (D. Oi, personal communication.).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

The microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae: Intracolony transmission and impact upon tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) colonies

LeBrun

Ottens

Gilbert

2017

J Applied Entomology

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The microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae Plowes et al. infects introduced tawny crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva (Mayr)), and constitutes one of the first natural enemies known to attack this invasive ant. We assess how infection is transmitted within colonies and how infection impacts N. fulva colony fragment growth under carbohydrate-deficient and carbohydrate-sufficient dietary conditions. Carbohydrate scarcity is a common source of stress for ant colonies. Infected workers efficiently pass infection to developing larvae but all other potential pathways for within colony transmission are rare or non-viable. For unknown reasons, queens within infected colony fragments are generally uninfected, limiting the role of transovarial transmission in intracolony transmission. In the laboratory, infection by M. nylanderiae primarily impacts the growth of N. fulva colonies by reducing pupal production. Colony growth showed a substantially greater impact under carbohydrate-deficient conditions implying that the effect of the pathogen may depend on seasonally variable carbohydrate availability. In the colony growth assay, worker mortality did not differ with infection status under either nutrient regime. However, in a longer, direct test of survivorship, infected worker survivorship was significantly lower. Recently, some established N. fulva populations with high prevalence of M. nylanderiae infection have declined precipitously, though it is unknown if M. nylanderiae is a causative agent in these declines. The combination of chronic impacts, presence in North America, and potential association with population declines makes M. nylanderiae a promising prospect for the biological control of N. fulva. K E Y W O R D Sbiological control, biological invasion, formicidae, invasive ant, microsporidia, Paratrechina fulva | INTRODUCTIONTawny crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva (Mayr)) are invading the Gulf Coast region of the United States (Kumar et al., 2015). Nylanderia fulva Nylanderia fulva evolved in central South America where it can be a common member of the ant fauna (Calcaterra, Cuezzo, Cabrera, & Briano, 2010;Kumar et al., 2015;LeBrun et al., 2007). N. fulva colonies contain multiple queens and nest opportunistically in cavities in soil or in objects on the soil surface predisposing them to human transport (Zenner-Polania, 1990). This ant is omnivorous, preying on and scavenging insects and also relying heavily on sugary exudates of plants and homopteran insects (MacGown & Layton, 2010;Sharma, Oi, & Buss, 2013). Although males fly and are caught at lights, no flights of female reproductives have been reported for this species.Thus, new colonies are likely founded exclusively by intranidal mating and colony fission. As a result, isolated populations of N. fulva spread slowly averaging about 200 m of outward spread per year (LeBrun, Abbott, & Gilbert, 2013;Meyers, 2008). In the Gulf Coast region of the United States, these ants successfully invade both urban and natural environments. Invaded natural environments...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

The microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae: Intracolony transmission and impact upon tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) colonies

LeBrun

Ottens

Gilbert

2017

J Applied Entomology

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“…Mean oviposition rates of infected queens was 43% lower than uninfected queens, however the sample size of infected queens was small and the reduced rate was not statistically significant. Field populations of N. fulva have been observed (DHO, personal observation) and reported to exhibit unexplained extensive reductions and corresponding disappearance from established areas ( Wetterer et al, 2014 ). This type of population cycling is commonly observed in introduced populations trying to establish themselves in a new area ( Simberloff and Gibbons, 2004 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ants were identified by morphological examination of workers and male alates using available keys and descriptions ( Gotzek et al, 2012 , LaPolla et al, 2010 ). N. fulva colony samples also were collected at sites in central and western St. Croix, US Virgin Islands ( Wetterer et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and characterization of Nylanderia fulva virus 1, a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus infecting the tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva

Valles

Becnel

et al. 2016

Virology

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We report the discovery of Nylanderia fulva virus 1 (NfV-1), the first virus identified and characterized from the ant, Nylanderia fulva. The NfV-1 genome (GenBank accession KX024775) is 10,881 nucleotides in length, encoding one large open reading frame (ORF). Helicase, protease, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and jelly-roll capsid protein domains were recognized within the polyprotein. Phylogenetic analysis placed NfV-1 in an unclassified clade of viruses. Electron microscopic examination of negatively stained samples revealed particles with icosahedral symmetry with a diameter of 28.7±1.1 nm. The virus was detected by RT-PCR in larval, pupal, worker and queen developmental stages. However, the replicative strand of NfV-1 was only detected in larvae. Vertical transmission did not appear to occur, but horizontal transmission was facile. The inter-colonial field prevalence of NfV-1 was 52±35% with some local infections reaching 100%. NfV-1 was not detected in limited samples of other Nylanderia species or closely related ant species.

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“…The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is an invasive ant from South America that develops overwhelming populations that invade structures, cause electrical malfunctions, damage crops, and reduce biodiversity in natural and agricultural landscapes (Zenner-Polania 1994;Wetterer & Keularts 2008;Wetterer et al 2014). It has been reported as a problem in Florida since 1990 and in Texas since 2002, and now has spread to several other southern states (Klotz et al 1995;MacGown & Layton 2010;Gotzek et al 2012).…”

Section: David Oi 1 *mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Prevalence of Queens and Males in Colonies of Tawny Crazy Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Florida

2020

Florida Entomologist

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Boom and bust of the tawny Crazy Ant,Nylanderia fulva(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), on st. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Cited by 18 publications

References 7 publications

The microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae: Intracolony transmission and impact upon tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) colonies

The microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae: Intracolony transmission and impact upon tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) colonies

Isolation and characterization of Nylanderia fulva virus 1, a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus infecting the tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva

Seasonal Prevalence of Queens and Males in Colonies of Tawny Crazy Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Florida

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