Ecological impacts of the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) in Tahiti

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 299
Author(s):  
Alice Bousseyroux ◽  
Caroline Blanvillain ◽  
Timeri Darius ◽  
Casper Vanderwoude ◽  
David Beaune
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Endemic Birds ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
The World ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
Little Fire Ant ◽  
Invasive Exotic

The little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) is one of the worst invasive exotic species of the world. Its pantropical expansion is explosive; the ant has been present in Tahiti for more than 20 years. This study is the first to be carried out in Tahiti to assess its ecological impacts. The ecological richness of three invaded environments located in or close to the Key Biodiversity Areas (Maruapo, Papehue, Hopuetamai and Orofero Valleys) was compared with that of adjoining uninvaded sites, in a xerophytic site of ferns and a rainforest in the bottom of a valley for invertebrates and finally a canyon and its cliffs for avifauna. At the last site, one bank is infested and the other bank is free of W. auropunctata. Invertebrates and birds were examined respectively by pitfall traps and observation points. The effects of W. auropunctata were significantly negative at each study site, and species diversity in infested sites was one-third of that in uninfested sites. For arthropods, the phytophages, omnivores, detritivores, predators and other ants were the most affected. Significantly fewer birds also frequented the infested shoreline, particularly endemic birds such as the Tahiti monarch (81% non-infested shoreline observation) and the Society fruit-dove in comparison with the adjacent non-infested shoreline. Moreover, Tahiti monarchs (which are territorial) were established in three territories located at the bottom of the infested zone or close to it in 2016. These birds have now deserted the areas colonised by W. auropunctata. Our results suggest that W. auropunctata is a serious threat to Tahitian terrestrial biodiversity, and related ecosystem services.

Niche opportunity and ant invasion: the case of Wasmannia auropunctata in a New Caledonian rain forest

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Le Breton ◽  
Hervé Jourdan ◽  
Jean Chazeau ◽  
Jérôme Orivel ◽  
Alain Dejean
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Biotic Resistance ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Island Communities ◽  
Little Fire Ant

Due to the unbalanced distribution of their fauna and flora, which leads to the creation of a niche opportunities, it is generally accepted that island communities offer weak biotic resistance to biological invasion. In order to empirically test this statement, we compared resource use by ants in the understorey of an undisturbed New Caledonian rain forest recently invaded by the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata. We tested the exploitation of: (1) food sources by placing baits on all trees with trunks greater than 5 cm in diameter; and (2) nesting sites on two tree species likely to shelter ant colonies. In non-invaded areas, the native ants occupied only 44.6% of the baits after 2 h of exposure, while in invaded areas all the baits were occupied by numerous W. auropunctata workers. Similarly, in non-invaded areas only 48.9% of Meryta coriacea (Araliaceae) trees and 64.5% of Basselinia pancheri (Arecaceae) sheltered ants, while in invaded areas W. auropunctata nested in 92.6–98.3% of these trees. Also, workers attended native Margarodidae (Hemiptera) for which they promoted the development of populations significantly larger than those attended by native ants. Thus native ants appear unable to efficiently exploit and defend several of the available food sources and nesting sites, providing a niche opportunity for an invader like W. auropunctata.

scholarly journals Identification of Key Genes for the Precise Classification between Solenopsis invicta and S. geminata Facilitating the Quarantine Process

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kil-Hyun Kim ◽  
Ji-Su Kim ◽  
Hyun-Ji Cho ◽  
Jong-Ho Lee ◽  
Tae-Hwan Jun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ant ◽  
Caps Marker ◽  
Invasive Exotic Species ◽  
Invasive Exotic ◽  
First Time

One of the 100 worst invasive exotic species, Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant), has the possibility to induce an allergic reaction that may eventually cause death from its aggressive stinging. In 2017, S. invicta was found at a container yard in Gamman Port, Busan, South Korea for the first time. It may result in an infestation of fire ants in the Korean environment. After this incident, sensitive quarantine procedures are required to detect possible contamination of fire ants in imported containers. However, currently, fire ant identification relies on phenotypic characteristics. This requires highly trained experts for identification and there are not enough to cover all imported containers. Here, we develop a key molecular marker to distinguish S. invicta from others using the whole genome sequence (WGS) of collected S. invicta from Gamman Port and NCBI-deposited WGS data of S.invicta and S. geminata. The consolidated genotypes of Solenopsis genus successfully indicate the distinguishable gene. The gel-based experimental validation confirmed expected classification and the developed cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) marker also gave a consistent result. Using the CAPS marker derived from our consolidated genotypes, the samples collected from containers in several ports can be easily tested by PCR in a few hours. The quick and easy test would increase not only the labor efficiency but also the environmental safety from fire ants.

The little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata: a new invasive species in the Middle East and its impact on the local arthropod fauna

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1825-1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merav Vonshak ◽  
Tamar Dayan ◽  
Armin Ionescu-Hirsh ◽  
Amnon Freidberg ◽  
Abraham Hefetz
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
Arthropod Fauna ◽  
Little Fire Ant

scholarly journals Effects of the Invasive Little Fire Ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) on Ant Community Composition on UF Campus

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Nielsen ◽  
Rachel Atchison ◽  
Andrea Lucky
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Invasive Ants ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Ant Community ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
A Site ◽  
The University ◽  
Little Fire Ant ◽  
Litter Sampling

Invasive species are a serious threat to Florida’s native ecosystems and can have significant economic impacts. The invasive little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) was first observed on the University of Florida’s campus in the Field and Fork Gardens in Summer 2018 and a targeted eradication of this population began in Fall 2018. This project aimed to compare ant community composition in invaded and uninvaded areas to better understand how ant invasions affect native ant communities. For comparison with Field and Fork Gardens invaded sites, four additional sites on UF’s campus were surveyed for ants through leaf litter sampling. Samples were sorted and all ants identified to the genus level; samples from invaded sites were identified to species. In samples from invaded sites, the community had lower species richness and a lower relative abundance of ant species compared to uninvaded communities. Determining how the invasion of the little fire ant affects ant communities is important as invasive ants do not fill the same ecosystem roles as native ants, such as seed dispersal and mutualist interactions. Data on community composition in uninvaded areas could be useful in efforts to restore a site after eradication has been achieved.

Reproductive system, social organization, human disturbance and ecological dominance in native populations of the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 5059-5073 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIEN FOUCAUD ◽  
JÉRÔME ORIVEL ◽  
DENIS FOURNIER ◽  
JACQUES H. C. DELABIE ◽  
ANNE LOISEAU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Reproductive System ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
Native Populations ◽  
Ecological Dominance ◽  
Little Fire Ant

scholarly journals Distribution of Endosymbiotic Reproductive Manipulators Reflects Invasion Process and Not Reproductive System Polymorphism in the Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e58467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Rey ◽  
Arnaud Estoup ◽  
Benoit Facon ◽  
Anne Loiseau ◽  
Alexandre Aebi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Invasion Process ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
Little Fire Ant

scholarly journals Using Behavioral Experimentation to Understand the Social Structure of the Little Fire Ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) in Florida

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Aron Hornfeldt ◽  
Leo Ohyama ◽  
Andrea Lucky
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Agricultural Pest ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽  
The Social ◽  
Little Fire Ant

Wasmannia auropunctata (LFA) is a small, yellow ant that is native to the Central and South America that has become a globally invasive species by acting as an agricultural pest in addition to being ecologically destructive in non-native regions. One trait thought to contribute to successful invasion of ants is unicoloniality, which is characterized by lack of aggression among workers and queens from different colonies. This results in colonies becoming effectively borderless, expanding as a single, massive colony across large geographic distance. These ants are known to be unicolonial in some parts of their range, but no studies to date have assessed unicoloniality in Florida populations. To determine whether LFA populations across Florida were members of a unicolonial lineage, we carried out integration trials using 27 colonies from 6 sites in 3 Florida counties. Approximately 20 workers from different colonies were placed together in an arena; after 24 hours they were evaluated to determine whether or not they integrated. Out of a total of 42 trials, 17 (40%) resulted in full integration and 25 (60%) did not. Colonies that were collected within 9 km of each other integrated, and ants from colonies beyond that distance did not integrate. These results suggest that the little fire is not unicolonial in Florida on a large scale, but perhaps on a smaller scale. Future studies should attempt to use colonies from more counties and incorporate genetic data to determine relatedness among these ants.

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