The s tereochenris try of 3-bUtyl-5-(5 -hexenyl)-p yrrolizidine from populations of<i>Monomorium antarcticum</i>(Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and its possible role as a unique taxonomic character

Don, AN; Jones, Tappey H.

doi:10.1080/00779962.1993.9722649

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In Australasia, when L. humile invades, it will have to compete and interact with native ants such as those in the genus Monomorium . The presence of venomous alkaloids (Don & Jones 1993) and a sting (Hölldobler & Wilson 1990) in many species of Monomorium are probably responsible for their competitiveness with invasive ants. For example, in Australia, M. rothsteini Forel resisted the more aggressive Iridomyrmex species (Andersen, Blum & Jones 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile

Sagata¹,

Lester²

2009

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary 1.The number of individuals involved in an invasion event, or 'propagule size', has a strong theoretical basis for influencing invasion success. However, rarely has propagule size been experimentally manipulated to examine changes in invader behaviour, and propagule longevity and success. 2. We manipulated propagule size of the invasive Argentine ant Linepithema humile in laboratory and field studies. Laboratory experiments involved L. humile propagules containing two queens and 10, 100, 200 or 1000 workers. Propagules were introduced into arenas containing colonies of queens and 200 workers of the competing native ant Monomorium antarcticum . The effects of food availability were investigated via treatments of only one central resource, or 10 separated resources. Field studies used similar colony sizes of L. humile , which were introduced into novel environments near an invasion front. 3. In laboratory studies, small propagules of L. humile were quickly annihilated. Only the larger propagule size survived and killed the native ant colony in some replicates. Aggression was largely independent of food availability, but the behaviour of L. humile changed substantially with propagule size. In larger propagules, aggressive behaviour was significantly more frequent, while L. humile were much more likely to avoid conflict in smaller propagules. 4. In field studies, however, propagule size did not influence colony persistence. Linepithema humile colonies persisted for up to 2 months, even in small propagules of 10 workers. Factors such as temperature or competitor abundance had no effect, although some colonies were decimated by M. antarcticum . Synthesis and applications.Although propagule size has been correlated with invasion success in a wide variety of taxa, our results indicate that it will have limited predictive power with species displaying behavioural plasticity. We recommend that aspects of animal behaviour be given much more consideration in attempts to model invasion success. Secondly, areas of high biodiversity are thought to offer biotic resistance to invasion via the abundance of predators and competitors. Invasive pests such as L. humile appear to modify their behaviour according to local conditions, and establishment was not related to resource availability. We cannot necessarily rely on high levels of native biodiversity to repel invasions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile

Sagata¹,

Lester²

2009

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…King et al , ), and beyond morphology there are other characters that can be useful in delimiting cryptic species. Although not investigated here, venom chemistry has revealed utility in discriminating morphologically divergent colonies of M. ‘rothsteini’ (Andersen et al , ) and its potential as an effective taxonomic character for myrmicine ants more generally (Jones et al , ; Don & Jones, ; Don et al , ). Similarly, Seppa et al () found cuticular hydrocarbons to have a strong taxonomic signal in closely related Formica species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating the mtDNAroad map out of the morphological maze: interpreting morphological variation in the diverseMonomorium rothsteini(Forel) complex (Hymenoptera:Formicidae)

Sparks

Andersen

Donnellan

et al. 2013

Systematic Entomology

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Monomorium is a large and diverse ant genus with speciose radiations in both the Afrotropical and Australian regions. According to the most recent taxonomic revision, many Australian species are characterised by very broad distributions and variable morphology, which suggests that some species may be unrecognised species complexes. With a continent-wide distribution and diverse yet overlapping morphology, M. rothsteini (Forel) is representative of the greater challenge that exists in Australian Monomorium systematics. Here we investigate species boundaries in M. rothsteini using a molecular phylogenetic framework to interpret the complex overlap of nine morphological characters (with 31 states) and examine biogeographic relationships among the lineages. Bayesian inference resolved 38 mtDNA lineages that were morphologically separable, at least from their sister lineage. Although the morphological characters were intermixed across the phylogeny, instances of inseparable morphology among sister clades was rare. Seventeen lineages exhibited complete morphological overlap with one or more other lineages and could not be separated by Principal Component Analysis based on 12 morphometric variables. Two-thirds of all lineages occurred sympatrically with one or more both genetically and morphologically divergent lineages. The two nuclear markers EF1αF2 and wingless were used to generate haplotype networks which were characterised by a star-like pattern indicative of a rapid and recent radiation. Several haplotypes for both nuclear gene regions were shared among individuals occurring in separate mtDNA clades which we were also unable to distinguish morphologically or that were occurring in sympatry, indicating possible introgression in both the mtDNA and nuclear genomes. Clear biogeographic affinities among samples within a lineage were detected but there was no overall pattern in the biogeographic relationships among the lineages. We conclude that M. rothsteini is a large species complex that has undergone a complex evolutionary history following aridification of the Australian continent, and discuss the implications of this conclusion for the systematics of Australian Monomorium more generally.

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“…The use of venoms could also modulate the outcome of interspecific interactions (Casewell et al 2013). For example, M. antarcticum has ant-repellent venom alkaloids (Andersen et al 1991;Don and Jones 1993) and P. advenus frequently spray formic acid during aggressive interactions (Grangier and Lester 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Colonies of P. advenus were collected in New Zealand from forest areas in Nelson Lakes National Park (41º48ʹ′S; 172º38ʹ′E) and Kaitoke Regional Park that may be composed of 3-5 species (Brown, 1958;Don and Jones, 1993;Wang and Lester, 2004). Therefore, I collected colonies of M. antarcticum with similar morphologies from a single location.…”

Section: Ant Colony Collection and Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are able to tolerate a wide range of abiotic conditions (Don, 2007). Both P. advenus and M. antarcticum use venom during aggressive interactions (Don and Jones, 1993;Grangier and Lester, 2011); are generalist foragers and nest in the soil, under logs or rocks (Brown, 1958;Don, 2007). Monomorium antarcticum is a ubiquitous species in open habitats (Brown, 1958) and P. advenus is widely dispersed in beech forest (Nothofagus spp.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disentangling factors that assemble New Zealand's ant communities

Barbieri¹

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<p>Several biotic and abiotic stressors can influence community assembly. The negative co-occurrence patterns observed within many communities, for example, may derive either from behavioural similarities (e.g. species displaying high aggression levels towards each other) or habitat preference. I evaluated the role of several stressors that may shape New Zealand’s ant communities. First, I investigated (in chapter 2) the co-occurrence patterns of two native ant communities located within transitional grassland-forest habitats. I also monitored the temperature variation in these habitats over a one-year period. I found that grasslands are exposed to higher temperature variation than forest habitats. I also found that some ants are mostly associated with forest habitats and others with grasslands. Using null models to examine these communities, I found evidence that two ant species (Monomorium antarcticum and Prolasius advenus) exhibit negative co-occurrence patterns. In the reminder of my thesis I developed a series of laboratory-based experiments to examine the processes that could explain the co-occurrence patterns that I observed in these ant communities. In chapter 3, I subjected heterospecific groups of ants to interactions in controlled conditions. I asked if interspecific aggression predict the survival probability and co-occurrence patterns described in chapter 2. My results demonstrated that aggression predicted the survival probability of interacting ant species and their co-occurrence patterns. I argued that aggressive behaviour might reflect the risks imposed by competitors. Differences in aggression may thus be a key factor influencing sympatric and allopatric co-occurrence patterns of these ant communities. In chapter 4, I tested the hypotheses that arrival sequence and diet influence the strength of interactions between colonies of two species that exhibited negative co-occurrence patterns (P. advenus and M. antarcticum). When arriving first, P. advenus displayed increased aggression and M. antarcticum a defensive reaction. The adoption of a defensive reaction by M. antarcticum increased their colony survival probability. Changes in carbohydrate and protein availability modulated colony activity rates of both species. These results indicate that arrival sequence can modulate the territorial behaviour displayed by interacting species in situations of conflict. Also, I showed that these ant species adjust their foraging activity rates in according to their diet, but different species do so differently. In chapter 5, I expanded the scope of chapter 4 and asked if aggression and foraging behaviour of P. advenus and M. antarcticum change in different conditions of temperature, diet and group size. For both ant species, changes in temperature had stronger effects on small than large colonies. Small groups of M. antarcticum displayed higher foraging activity at lower temperatures. Conversely, small groups of P. advenus displayed higher foraging activity at high temperatures. Also, small M. antarcticum colonies displayed increased aggression and significantly reduced the size of large P. advenus colonies, regardless of temperature and diet. These results suggest that P. advenus and M. antarcticum perform differently at different temperatures. Furthermore, I demonstrated that the persistence of these small colonies might be related to their ability to modulate foraging activities and interspecific aggression according to the environment. I also investigated (in chapter 6) the effects of a neurotoxic pesticide (neonicotinoid) on a native (M. antarcticum) and an invasive ant (Linepithema humile). I tested whether sublethal contamination with a neonicotinoid affects foraging, fitness and the outcome of interspecific interactions between these ants. Overall, pesticide exposure increased aggression of the invasive ant and reduced the aggression of the native species. Importantly, non-exposed individuals of the invasive species subjected to interactions against exposed natives were less aggressive, but more likely to survive. These results suggest that the modification of the physicochemical environment by pesticide contamination could change the dynamics of communities and influence invasion success. Overall, this thesis highlights that synergistic effects between several biotic and abiotic factors influence community assembly. My results suggest that non-random allopatric patterns of niche occupancy observed in these ant communities are better explained by high levels of aggression displayed between pairs of species that seldom co-occur, though I was unable to falsify the hypothesis that habitat preference also plays a role in determining their distribution and co-occurrence patterns. The modification of behaviour by external factors – either natural (e.g. temperature) or human mediated (e.g. pesticide exposure) – likely has broad effects on population and community dynamics and on patterns of species co-existence.</p>

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The s tereochenris try of 3-bUtyl-5-(5 -hexenyl)-p yrrolizidine from populations ofMonomorium antarcticum(Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and its possible role as a unique taxonomic character

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile

Behavioural plasticity associated with propagule size, resources, and the invasion success of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile

Navigating the mtDNAroad map out of the morphological maze: interpreting morphological variation in the diverseMonomorium rothsteini(Forel) complex (Hymenoptera:Formicidae)

Disentangling factors that assemble New Zealand's ant communities

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