13 replies to this topic

[Myrmicinae]

I haven't had a chance to read the entire article, but it presents some very interesting findings that I wanted to share.  

 

http://onlinelibrary...06.01161.x/full

 

Apparently, the study suggests that Solenopsis invicta colonies do not directly reduce the diversity of ant species in a given habitat.  Their dominance seems to be simply due to a better ability to adapt to disturbed sites, compared to native species.

 

Perhaps a good number of ant species that are considered "invasive" are in fact only "disturbance specialists."  Anyway, I thought that everyone might be interested in this concept.   To prevent spread of invasive ants, the most important component might be habitat restoration.

Edited by Myrmicinae, January 15 2015 - 11:41 AM.

[drtrmiller]

The premise seems plainly obvious.

 

Nice to see the research, however.

Edited by drtrmiller, January 15 2015 - 11:55 AM.

[Mercutia]

Link is leading to "Not Found" for me. D:

[Miles]

Link is leading to "Not Found" for me. D:

Same here.

[Myrmicinae]

Edited.  Let me know if it works now.

[Myrmicinae]

The premise seems plainly obvious.

 

Nice to see the research, however.

 

By the way, there is a problem with your link.

 

This is the first carefully controlled study that I have found to clearly demonstrate the relationship.  I wanted to share it because many people believe that invasive species are the sole cause of native ant decline.

[drtrmiller]

 

The premise seems plainly obvious.

 

Nice to see the research, however.

 

This is the first carefully controlled study that I have found to clearly demonstrate the relationship.  I wanted to share it because many people believe that invasive species are the sole cause of native ant decline.

 

 

I would speculate that polygyne species that show little intraspecific aggression, such as Linepithema humile, Pheidole megacephala, Nylanderia fulva, etc., are much more likely to cause a decline in diversity of native ant species, than Solenopsis invicta, which generally competes as much with itself, as it does with other ants.  

 

Polygyne variants of S. invicta and other Solenopsis spp. are likely to be more problematic, albeit geographically isolated, in their disruption of native ant fauna.

Edited by drtrmiller, January 15 2015 - 12:04 PM.

[Myrmicinae]

 

 

The premise seems plainly obvious.

 

Nice to see the research, however.

 

This is the first carefully controlled study that I have found to clearly demonstrate the relationship.  I wanted to share it because many people believe that invasive species are the sole cause of native ant decline.

 

 

I would speculate that polygyne species that show little intraspecific aggression, such as Linepithema humile, Pheidole megacephala, Nylanderia fulva, etc., are much more likely to cause a decline in diversity of native ant species, than Solenopsis invicta, which generally competes as much with itself, as it does with other ants.  

 

Polygyne variants of S. invicta and other Solenopsis spp. are likely to be more problematic, albeit geographically isolated, in their disruption of native ant fauna.

 

 

Agreed.  Supercolonial species have a huge competitive advantage after their populations reach a certain size.  However, I think that habitat disturbance probably plays a major role in their initial establishment and expansion.

Edited by Myrmicinae, January 15 2015 - 12:11 PM.

[Myrmicinae]

Here is an interesting video that documents some of the research.

 

[dspdrew]

Interesting. I see they seem to favor the test tube.

[kalimant]

 

 

The premise seems plainly obvious.

 

Nice to see the research, however.

 

This is the first carefully controlled study that I have found to clearly demonstrate the relationship.  I wanted to share it because many people believe that invasive species are the sole cause of native ant decline.

 

 

I would speculate that polygyne species that show little intraspecific aggression, such as Linepithema humile, Pheidole megacephala, Nylanderia fulva, etc., are much more likely to cause a decline in diversity of native ant species, than Solenopsis invicta, which generally competes as much with itself, as it does with other ants.  

 

Polygyne variants of S. invicta and other Solenopsis spp. are likely to be more problematic, albeit geographically isolated, in their disruption of native ant fauna.

 

 

yep, various studies have shown that L. humile and P. megacephala  definitely cause a significant reduction in native ant diversity...not only in disturbed habitats, but in the case of P. megacephala at least, also in undisturbed local habitats (e.g. in Brisbane and Perth Australia). They do this not only by outcompeting the native ants in terms of finding and dominating food resources, but also (in the case of P. megacephala) by raiding the colonies of competitors around them.

[gcsnelling]

I have not yet had a chance to read the paper, but I know both authors and would put a good bit of faith in their conclusions.

[kalimant]

I have not yet had a chance to read the paper, but I know both authors and would put a good bit of faith in their conclusions.

 

the weird thing is that i've never actually come across a paper that said S. invicta impacts surrounding ants significantly (though i read that S. invicta does displace S. geminata)....might be because i don't look for them though....i do know the stricter unicolonial ants are more likely to displace ant competitors, and in those cases there are a lot of evidence (mostly non-experimental, although there have been situations where an invasive species has been wiped out deliberately, and this  created a much richer ant assemblage)

Edited by kalimant, February 23 2018 - 8:10 PM.

[kalimant]

yep, various studies have shown that L. humile and P. megacephala  definitely cause a significant reduction in native ant diversity...not only in disturbed habitats, but in the case of P. megacephala at least, also in undisturbed local habitats (e.g. in Brisbane and Perth Australia). They do this not only by outcompeting the native ants in terms of finding and dominating food resources, but also (in the case of P. megacephala) by raiding the colonies of competitors around them.

 

 

 

three papers where P. megacephala was removed, which allowed the restoration of native species or the introduction of other invasives (which had been earlier excluded by the ant)
 

HETERICK, B.E., CASELLA, J. & MAJER, J.D. 2000: Influence of Argentine and coastal brown ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) invasions on ant communities in Perth gardens, Western Australia. – Urban Ecosystems 4: 277-292.

 

Hoffmann BD (2010) Ecological restoration following the local eradication of an invasive ant in northern Australia. Biol. Invasions 12:959–969.

 

Sheldon Plentovich, Jakob Eijzeng, Heather Eijzeng, David Smith (2011). Indirect effects of ant eradication efforts on offshore islets in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Biol Invasions 13:545–557