Red Imported Fire Ant:
1
Effects on
Onthophagus gazella2
and the Horn Fly
345

Summerlin, J. W.; Olson, Jimmy K.; Blume, Richard R.; Aga, A.; Bay, D. E.

doi:10.1093/ee/6.3.440

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Many ant species are extremely resistant to environmental disturbance. Solenopsis species, for example, although unpopular, often thrive in ploughed crop fields and are known to control a variety of important pests (Summerlin et al 1977;Morrill 1978;Sterling 1978;Risch & Carroll 1982). Perhaps, most importantly, patterns of ant foraging behaviour can be manipulated, through the provision of resources such as EFN, in order to maximize the rate at which they encounter pests (Leston 1973).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of extrafloral nectar in pest management: overcoming context dependence

Jones

Koptur

Wettberg

2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Extrafloral nectar (EFN) provides plants with indirect defence against herbivores by attracting predatory insects, predominantly ants. Decades of research have supported the role of EFN as an effective plant defence, dating back to Thomas Belt's description of ants on acacia in 1874. 2. Despite this extensive body of literature, knowledge of the ecological role of EFN has rarely been applied in the field of pest management. We review the existing literature on the use of EFN in agriculture and consider the obstacles that have hindered this transition. 3. Chief among these obstacles is the influence of ecological context on the outcome of EFN-mediated interactions. As such, we consider the options for various agricultural systems in the light of the growth habit of EFN-producing species, focusing first on orchard species and then on herbaceous crops. In each case, we highlight the benefits and difficulties of utilizing EFN as a pest management tool and of measuring its efficacy. 4. Synthesis and applications. We argue that it is time for a shift in extrafloral nectar (EFN) research towards applied settings and seek to address the question: How can a context-dependent and often inducible plant trait be utilized as a reliable tool in agricultural pest management? Breeding crops for increased EFN production, and intercropping with EFN-producing plants, can enhance assemblages of beneficial insects in many agricultural settings. Orchard systems, in particular, provide an ecological context in which the attraction of ants can contribute to cost-effective and sustainable pest management programmes over a broad geographic range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of extrafloral nectar in pest management: overcoming context dependence

Jones

Koptur

Wettberg

2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…The quantity of dung buried or otherwise disturbed is considered to be the most important factor in determining the impact of beetles on the survival of fly eggs and larvae. Predators of fly eggs and larvae have also been shown to reduce the survival of flies (Legner, 1978;Summerlin et al, 1977;Wallace, et al, 1979). The influence of dung beetles in reducing populations of pest flies has been more difficult to measure in the field although a reduction in M. vetustissima populations has been recorded (Hughes et al, 1978).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some effects of three species of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in south-western Australia on the survival of the bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker (Diptera: Muscidae), in dung pads

Ridsdill-Smith

1981

Bull. Entomol. Res.

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The effectiveness of three species of scarabaeids in reducing the survival of Musca vetustissima Wlk. in cattle dung was compared in laboratory experiments in Australia at 27°C in which the arthropod fauna collected in dung-baited traps in different localities at different times of year was added to one-litre dung pads containing known numbers of M. vetustissima eggs. The dung was collected from each site at the time of the experiment. Onitis alexis Klug collected in October and December at Geraldton, and Onthophagus binodis (Thnb.) collected in January at Bunbury, shredded most of the dung, reducing fly survival to 4% of that in control pads. O. binodis collected in March and October at Bunbury, and O. ferox Har. collected in May and December at Busselton, mostly buried dung, reducing fly survival to 32% of that in controls. Factors other than the numbers of beetles were also important in determining the degree of suppression of the fly.

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The ecological role of ants in two Mexican agroecosystems

Risch

Carroll

1982

Oecologia

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The development of the ant communities and their foraging dynamics were studied in two annual agroecosystems of the Mexican tropical lowlands: a "forest milpa" of corn, beans, and squash made by cutting and buring 40-year-old forest, and a "field milpa" of corn, beans, and squash made by plowing 1-year-old second growth. The ant community was sampled using tuna fish baits 26, 52, 110 and 353 days after planting. Although immediately after planting the same number of ant species occurred in each milpa type, thereafter the ant faunas diverged. The field milpa became completely dominated by the native fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, while the number of ant species in the forest milpa gradually increased over time, reaching eight species 110 days after planting and 14 species by 353 days. Initially S. geminata dominated the ant fauna in the forest milpa (occurring on 90% of the baits), but by 353 days planting it was found on only 26% of the occupied baits. Ant foraging efficiency, as measured by proportion of tuna baits occupied and the removal rates of dead Drosophila fly baits, was much higher (by a factor of 2 to 3) in the field than the forest milpa. This was caused by the extremely high density of S. geminata colonies in the field milpa. The simple Solenopsis-dominated community of the field milpa may be much more effective in biological control than the more diverse community of the forest milpa. Although S. geminata has potential negative impacts in annual agroecosystems (it stings, eats corn seeds, and guards homopterams), its overall impact appears to be beneficial. As forested areas of the lowland wet tropics are increasingly cut and converted to annual agriculture, the primary ant inhabitant of these highly disturbed environments, S. geminata, will necessarily play a much more significant ecological role in agroecosystems.

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Red Imported Fire Ant: 1 Effects on Onthophagus gazella2 and the Horn Fly 345

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The use of extrafloral nectar in pest management: overcoming context dependence

The use of extrafloral nectar in pest management: overcoming context dependence

Some effects of three species of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in south-western Australia on the survival of the bush fly, Musca vetustissima Walker (Diptera: Muscidae), in dung pads

The ecological role of ants in two Mexican agroecosystems

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