The role of competitive dominance in the invasive ability of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile)

Carpintero, Soledad; Reyes-López, Joaquı́n

doi:10.1007/s10530-007-9103-3

Cited by 41 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(75 reference statements)

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“…In studies of antagonistic interactions, variation in aggression has been shown to influence both species co-existence (Frye 1983, Logan 1984, Morrison 1996 and the displacement of native species by exotics (Carpintero and Reyes-Lopez 2008). Thus, if they represent a widespread pattern, our findings suggest that trait-mediated indirect interactions associated with novel mutualisms between invaders and native species could contribute to the success and detrimental impacts of species invasions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Trait-mediated indirect interactions in invasions: unique behavioral responses of an invasive ant to plant nectar

Savage

Whitney

2011

Ecosphere

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Abstract. Exotic species often form beneficial, facultative associations with indigenous species.However, we still have a limited understanding of the influences that these positive associations may have on the dynamics and impacts of species invasions. Highly invasive species may respond differently than less invasive species to resources that are exchanged in mutualisms, leading to trait-mediated indirect interactions between native species via invaders that may reshape native communities. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the highly invasive ant species, Anoplolepis gracilipes, exhibits stronger trait changes in response to increasing levels of nectar than co-occurring, less invasive ant species. Across two islands in the Samoan Archipelago, we located multiple sites dominated by A. gracilipes and multiple sites dominated by other, less invasive species. At each site, we manipulated nectar levels on a common extrafloral nectary-bearing shrub and assessed short-term changes in ant worker recruitment and aggression. We found that the recruitment response of the highly invasive ant species A. gracilipes was not unique: other dominant ant species also increased recruitment in response to increasing nectar levels. However, A. gracilipes did show unique changes in aggressive behaviors: as nectar levels increased, the proportion of prey discovered, attacked and removed by A. gracilipes workers and the speed at which they performed these aggressive behaviors all increased strongly. Other ant species showed no such responses. In addition, fewer subordinate ants persisted on plants at sites invaded by A. gracilipes. Finally, plot-level, simultaneous manipulations of ant access to the plants and nectar availability demonstrated that Morinda citrifolia-ant mutualisms influenced the b-diversity of local arthropod communities differently when A. gracilipes dominated local ant assemblages. These results suggest that mutualisms between invasive ants and native plants can modify interactions between invaders and co-occurring arthropods, possibly leading to more negative consequences for native communities. They also underscore the importance of incorporating both positive species interactions and indirect pathways into our studies of both community ecology and invasion biology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Trait-mediated indirect interactions in invasions: unique behavioral responses of an invasive ant to plant nectar

Savage

Whitney

2011

Ecosphere

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“…The influence of biotic interactions at this scale of analysis was unexpected because we were not testing the effects of the number of species in local assemblages, but rather the number of genera in entire countries. However, although the presence of related taxa may hinder L. humile invasion during its initial stages, there is little evidence that native ants preclude the establishment of populations of the Argentine ant, particularly if the climate is suitable and human pressure on the environment is high (35)(36)(37)(38).…”

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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139

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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“…Indirectly, climate factors affect resource availability to ants as they interfere with primary productivity (Silva et al, 2014). Low resource availability can lead to higher interspecific competition and species exclusion, and is one of the regulating factors of ant communities (Lach, 2005;Carpintero & Reyes-López, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Analysis of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Poneromorph Ant Assemblages in the Amazon Forest

et al. 2016

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The present study aimed at assessing the effects of climate seasonality on poneromorph ants in the Brazilian Amazon, by studying variations in composition, richness, and taxonomic and functional diversity. The study was carried out in the Tapirapé-Aquiri National Forest, southeastern Pará State. We collected poneromorph ants in three areas of native forest with pitfall traps and sardine baits on the ground and vegetation, in two dry and rainy seasons. We collected 46 species of poneromorph ants, which belong to two subfamilies and eleven genera. The species composition, richness and taxonomic diversity did not vary significantly between seasons. There was no significant difference in the frequency of species of functional groups between dry and rainy seasons. There was no significant difference in the average richness and average diversity of functional groups between the dry and rainy seasons. In our study we found no seasonal differences in composition, taxonomic and functional richness and diversity of poneromorph ants in the Amazon, which is useful for future studies that aim at using those ants as bioindicators. In addition, the identification of the species made in the present study has special relevance as it contributes to advance the knowledge of poneromorph ant diversity in the Amazon.

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The role of competitive dominance in the invasive ability of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile)

Cited by 41 publications

References 50 publications

Trait-mediated indirect interactions in invasions: unique behavioral responses of an invasive ant to plant nectar

Trait-mediated indirect interactions in invasions: unique behavioral responses of an invasive ant to plant nectar

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

Seasonal Analysis of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Poneromorph Ant Assemblages in the Amazon Forest

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