Effects of the Argentine ant <i>Linepithema humile</i> on seed dispersal and seedling emergence of <i>Rhamnus alaternus</i>

Gómez, Crisanto; Pons, Pere; Bas, Josep M.

doi:10.1034/j.1600-0587.2003.03484.x

Cited by 49 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Foliage-foraging native ant fauna suffer the most important detected impact of the L. humile invasion. Holway (1999) pointed to exploitative or interference competition as the mechanism underlying the displacement of native ant species by the Argentine ant, which is severe in Mediterranean ant communities (Carpintero et al 2005;Gomez et al 2003;Way et al 1997). Virtually displacing all native ant species, L. humile seriously disturbs the original foliageforaging ant assemblages of the cork oak forests studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Areas were visited to verify either complete invasion or non-invasion by searching ant nests and worker lines. Complete invasion was defined as areas in which the Argentine ant is over-abundant and only a few native species (Plagiolepis pygmaea, Temnothorax recedens and Temnothorax racovitzai) coexist with it at low density (Gomez et al 2003). Noninvaded areas were those in which only native ant species occurred.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We studied Argentine ant invaded and noninvaded oak forests in which foliage-gleaning birds co-occur with rich ant communities (Gomez et al 2003). Given the outstanding abilities of the Argentine ant with regard to exploitative and interference competition and that, besides being a ground-nesting ant, it actively forages for food on shrub and tree foliage, we predicted that the richness of foliageforaging ants in invaded sites would be impoverished, and that changes in ant assemblages would be extended to non-ant arthropod communities, indirectly affecting upper trophic levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does Argentine ant invasion affect prey availability for foliage-gleaning birds?

2009

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Food availability during the breeding season plays a critical role in reproductive success of insectivorous birds. Given that the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is known to alter arthropod communities, we predicted that its invasion may affect the availability of food resources for coexisting foliage-gleaning birds. With this aim we studied, for 3 years, foliage arthropods occurring on cork oaks (Quercus suber) and tree heaths (Erica arborea) in invaded and non-invaded secondary forests of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Our results show that Argentine ants interact with arboreal foliage arthropods in a different manner than the native ants they displace do. The invasive ant impacted the arthropod community by reducing order diversity and ant species richness and by causing extirpation of most native ant species. Arthropod availability for foliage gleaners' nestlings diminished in invaded cork oaks, mainly responding to the abundance and biomass depletion of caterpillars. Results suggest that the reproduction of canopyforaging foliage-gleaning species that mostly rely on caterpillars to feed their young could be compromised by the Argentine ant invasion. Thus, the Argentine ant could be promoting bottom-up effects in the trophic web through its effects on the availability of arthropod preys for insectivorous birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does Argentine ant invasion affect prey availability for foliage-gleaning birds?

2009

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“…In our focused ant communities non-carrying species attracted by the different food items (e.g., Leptothorax spp, Plagiolepis pygmeae) were not ecologically or behaviorally dominant and they could not keep carrying species from approaching depots. In other Mediterranean habitats, dominated by the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile, the association of myrmecochorous diaspores with highly rewarding foods may generate much more conflicting situations with this ineffective disperser, contributing to the reduced dispersal rate observed in infested zones (Christian 2001;Go´mez et al 2003;Carney et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Indirect effects of alternative food resources in an ant–plant interaction

et al. 2005

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The seeds of many plant species present a food body that is consumed by animal dispersers. In theory, if the animals are polyphagous, the availability of alternative food resource other than the diaspore itself may influence its dispersal and survival. We used the myrmecochore Helleborus foetidus L. (Ranunculaceae), the seeds of which are attached to a lipid-rich elaiosome that is attractive to ants, as a model system to investigate (1) whether alternative foods that are present along with the plant affect ant foraging behavior and diaspore removal and (2) whether food availability in an ant nest affects seed predation and germination. In a field experiment, artificial diaspore depots were offered together with either sugar, insect corpses, seed, or no food (control). Contrary to the prediction that ants would rather concentrate their foraging effort on the highly rewarding alternative foods only, many workers, attracted by the sugar, switched to the hellebore diaspores, which significantly enhanced removal rate. Results obtained in the laboratory further indicated that the larvae of Aphaenogaster iberica (a major seed disperser) predated more on the H. foetidus embryos when no alternative food was available. This, in turn, slightly reduced seed germination. Overall, these results shed light, for the first time, on the potential indirect effects of alternative resources on the fate of diaspores adapted for ant dispersal.

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“…Invasive ants can disrupt the seed dispersal mutualism between native ants and plants, a scenario best studied in the case of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), which reduces populations of native ants in invaded areas (Christian 2001;Gómez et al 2003;Human and Gordon 1996;RodriguezCabal et al 2009), while failing to effectively disperse seeds itself (Bond and Slingsby 1984;Carney et al 2003;Gómez et al 2003;RodriguezCabal et al 2009). Through this mechanism, Argentine ants have been found to alter plant community composition (Christian 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Are red imported fire ants facilitators of native seed dispersal?

2009

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Invasive ants threaten native communities, in part, through their potential to disrupt mutualisms, yet invasive species may also facilitate native species. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is one of the most conspicuous invasive ants in North America and its high densities, combined with its potential to displace native ants, have led to concerns that it may disrupt ant-plant seed dispersal mutualisms. We examined the potential of fire ants to disperse seeds in the longleaf pine ecosystem by comparing the removal of elaiosome-bearing seeds by fire ants versus native ants. A total of 14 ant species were observed removing seeds, with fire ants responsible for more than half of all removals. While fire ants were the dominant seed remover in this system, they did not remove significantly more seeds than would be expected based on their population density (46% of ground-dwelling ants). Moreover, red imported fire ants were similar to native ants with respect to distance of seed movement and frequency of moving seeds back to the nest. Areas of higher fire ant densities were found to have greater rates of seed removal by ants without a subsequent drop in seed dispersal by native ants, suggesting that fire antinvaded areas may experience overall higher levels of seed dispersal. Thus, fire ants may actually facilitate dispersal of elaiosome-bearing plant species in the longleaf pine ecosystem.

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Effects of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile on seed dispersal and seedling emergence of Rhamnus alaternus

Cited by 49 publications

References 25 publications

Does Argentine ant invasion affect prey availability for foliage-gleaning birds?

Does Argentine ant invasion affect prey availability for foliage-gleaning birds?

Indirect effects of alternative food resources in an ant–plant interaction

Are red imported fire ants facilitators of native seed dispersal?

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