European Fire Ant Presence Decreases Native Arboreal Insect Abundance in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA

Verble-Pearson, Robin; Pearson, Seth

doi:10.3375/043.036.0207

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Prey of this ant is overwhelmed by single scouts or, if the size of the prey is too large, the nest mates will be additionally recruited following the pheromone trail of the scouts [40]. Due to the invasiveness of M. rubra , several studies reported a severe decline in overall insect abundance in areas of North America that are infested with this ant species [41,42,43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proteomic Analysis of the Venom from the Ruby Ant Myrmica rubra and the Isolation of a Novel Insecticidal Decapeptide

Heep

Klaus

Kessel

et al. 2019

Insects

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Ants are a biodiverse group of insects that have evolved toxic venom containing many undiscovered bioactive molecules. In this study, we found that the venom of the ruby ant Myrmica rubra is a rich source of peptides. LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 142 different peptides varying in molecular weight, sequence length, and hydrophobicity. One of the most abundant peaks was selected for further biochemical and functional characterization. Combined Edman degradation and de novo peptide sequencing revealed the presence of a novel decapeptide (myrmicitoxin) with the amino acid sequence NH2-IDPKLLESLA-CONH2. The decapeptide was named U-MYRTX-MRArub1 and verified against a synthetic standard. The amidated peptide was tested in a synthetic form to determine the antimicrobial activity towards the bacterial pathogens and insecticidal potential against pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum). This peptide did not show antimicrobial activity but it significantly reduced the survival of aphids. It also increased the sensitivity of the aphids to two commonly used chemical insecticides (imidacloprid and methomyl). Since ant venom research is still in its infancy, the findings of this first study on venom peptides derived from M. rubra highlight these insects as an important and rich source for discovery of novel lead structures with potential application in pest control.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proteomic Analysis of the Venom from the Ruby Ant Myrmica rubra and the Isolation of a Novel Insecticidal Decapeptide

Heep

Klaus

Kessel

et al. 2019

Insects

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“…Invasive ants are also known to have negative impacts on the diversity and abundance of other arthropod species in their invaded areas (Lach et al. , 2016; Verble‐Pearson & Pearson, 2016; Siddiqui et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Invasive ants are notorious for suppressing or replacing native ants in their invaded areas because they tend to be competitively dominant (Goodman & Warren II, 2019;Naughton et al, 2020;Zina et al, 2020). Invasive ants are also known to have negative impacts on the diversity and abundance of other arthropod species in their invaded areas (Lach et al, 2016;Verble-Pearson & Pearson, 2016;Siddiqui et al, 2021). Due to the struggle for food and space resources with invasive ants, native ants often face extreme competitive pressure, and species abundance can be reduced by more than 90% (Porter & Savignano, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interspecific competition predicts the potential impact of little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) invasion on resident ants in southern China

Nie

Bamisile

et al. 2023

Insect Science

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The little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) is a major invasive species that seriously threatens the biodiversity of invaded areas. W. auropunctata was first reported in Chinese mainland in 2022 and its impact on native species is still unknown. To evaluate the impact of W. auropunctata invasion on the ant communities in southern China, a series of interspecific competition experiments were conducted in this study. The individual aggression index and group aggression experiments showed the advantage of W. auropunctata in competition with 5 resident ants under equal worker numbers. When encountering Anoplolepis gracilipes, Camponotus nicobarensis, Tetramorium bicarinatum, Polyrhachis dives, and Solenopsis invicta, W. auropunctata gradually gained a competitive advantage with an increase in its number of workers. In the group aggression experiments with equal worker numbers, there was a negative correlation between the body length and mortality rate of resident ants. The results of the foraging behavior experiments showed that W. auropunctata was able to dominate food resources under competition with Carebara diversa, which also displayed weak competition in the group aggression bioassay. In addition, the abilities to recruit workers and retrieve food were inhibited under competition with S. invicta and T. bicarinatum. The results of the nesting behavior experiments showed that in the 24‐h bout of space resource competition, W. auropunctata was dominant over C. diversa, S. invicta, and T. bicarinatum. The results of this study show that W. auropunctata has certain advantages in competition for food and space resources over resident ants in southern China, and some resident ant species may be replaced in the future.

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“…The ants were first observed in Maine in the late 1960s to early 1970s ( Groden et al., 2004 ; Ouellette et al., 2010 ), and since 1998, reports of M. rubra have increased dramatically ( Groden et al., 2005 ) in humid regions along Maine's coast ( Groden et al., 2004 ), including in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island ( Ouellette et al., 2010 ); however, colonies established inland suggest that the ant is able to survive in other environments throughout the state ( Arevalo and Groden, 2007 ). These ants have been demonstrated to have potentially negative impacts on biological community dynamics through suppression of native ant species ( Garnas et al., 2014 ; Naumann and Higgins, 2015 ), exacerbation of plant-feeding Homoptera populations ( McPhee et al., 2012 ), and lowering arthropod abundance ( Verble-Pearson and Pearson, 2016 ) and diversity ( Naumann and Higgins, 2015 ). In addition, with their aggressive stinging behavior, they are a significant nuisance for home and business owners and public land managers in infested areas where density frequently exceeds an average of 1.5 nests/m 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial transfer from Pristionchus entomophagus nematodes to the invasive ant Myrmica rubra and the potential for colony mortality in coastal Maine

et al. 2021

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Summary The necromenic nematode Pristionchus entomophagus has been frequently found in nests of the invasive European ant Myrmica rubra in coastal Maine, United States, and may contribute to ant mortality and collapse of colonies by transferring environmental bacteria. Paenibacillus and several other bacterial species were found in the digestive tracts of nematodes harvested from collapsed ant colonies. Serratia marcescens , Serratia nematodiphila , and Pseudomonas fluorescens were collected from the hemolymph of nematode-infected wax moth ( Galleria mellonella ) larvae. Virulence against waxworms varied by the site of origin of the nematodes. In adult nematodes, bacteria were highly concentrated in the digestive tract with none observed on the cuticle. In contrast, juveniles had more on the cuticle than in the digestive tract. Host species was the primary factor affecting bacterial community profiles, but Spiroplasma sp. and Serratia marcescens sequences were shared across ants, nematodes, and nematode-exposed G. mellonella larvae.

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European Fire Ant Presence Decreases Native Arboreal Insect Abundance in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Proteomic Analysis of the Venom from the Ruby Ant Myrmica rubra and the Isolation of a Novel Insecticidal Decapeptide

Proteomic Analysis of the Venom from the Ruby Ant Myrmica rubra and the Isolation of a Novel Insecticidal Decapeptide

Interspecific competition predicts the potential impact of little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) invasion on resident ants in southern China

Bacterial transfer from Pristionchus entomophagus nematodes to the invasive ant Myrmica rubra and the potential for colony mortality in coastal Maine

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