scholarly journals Evading invaders: the effectiveness of a behavioral response acquired through lifetime exposure

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Freidenfelds ◽  
T. R. Robbins ◽  
T. Langkilde
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Sceloporus Undulatus ◽  
Heritable Trait ◽  
Lifetime Exposure ◽  
Juvenile Behavior ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Understanding the mechanisms driving adaptations to survive agonistic interactions, and their function, provides insight into how native species adapt to aggressive invaders, a growing global threat. We staged encounters between native fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) and red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) on and off the ant mound (nest) to examine the effectiveness of lizard antipredator behavior through ontogeny while focusing on the impact of lifetime and evolutionary exposure to this invasive threat. We used field-caught and lab-reared lizards from a fire ant–invaded and an uninvaded site. In ∼90% of cases, fire ants found lizards within 12 min in natural lizard habitat. Lizards that performed rapid twitches of their body and/or fled after initial encounter with a fire ant scout reduced their risk of having additional fire ants recruit to the attack. The majority of lizards that had been exposed to fire ants within their lifetime (field-caught lizards from the invaded site) behaviorally responded to attack, whereas relatively few lizards that were naïve to fire ants (all lab-reared lizards and field-caught lizards from the uninvaded site) responded. Because fewer adult lizards responded to fire ants than juveniles, they were recruited to by additional attacking ants significantly more than were juveniles. Our data suggest that the higher percentage of responsive adults within invaded populations is the result of within-lifetime selection acting against unresponsive adults, and/or lifetime exposure to fire ants triggering the retention of this juvenile behavior into adulthood, rather than selection acting on a heritable trait across generations.

Holding ground in the face of invasion: native fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) do not alter their habitat use in response to introduced fire ants (Solenopsis invicta)

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 626-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Langkilde
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Sceloporus Undulatus ◽  
The Face ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta Buren ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Adaptive Shifts ◽  
The Impact

The introduction of non-native species is becoming increasingly common. Understanding the impact of invaders on native populations is critical for effective management. Red imported fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972) were introduced to the USA in the 1930s. They will attack, and can kill, native fence lizards ( Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc and Daudin in Sonnini and Latreille, 1801)), which co-occur with these ants across much of their invasive range. I determined whether fence lizards minimize encounters with S. invicta by altering their habitat use following invasion or avoiding cues of the presence of these fire ants. I recorded the habitat use of fence lizards and S. invicta mounds across four sites with different histories of invasion, and quantified lizard avoidance of S. invicta scent. I found that lizards do not alter their habitat use following S. invicta invasion, nor do they spatially avoid their mounds. Fence lizards do avoid S. invicta scent, but this was only evident in naïve or recently invaded populations. The lack of avoidance of S. invicta by fence lizards could be explained by the high prevalence of these fire ants, making them difficult to avoid, and adaptive shifts in the escape behaviour and morphology of these lizards following invasion that permit them to survive fire ant attack.

scholarly journals History of predator exposure affects cell-mediated immunity in female eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Sprayberry ◽  
Catherine Tylan ◽  
Dustin A S Owen ◽  
Kirsty J Macleod ◽  
Michael J Sheriff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Cell Mediated Immunity ◽  
Sceloporus Undulatus ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Dosing Regimens ◽  
History Of ◽  
Corticosterone Treatment

Abstract On exposure to stressors, energy is diverted from non-urgent functions towards those important for immediate survival. The degree and nature of reallocation may be affected by the evolutionary history of the animal. The eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) coexists in parts of its range with invasive fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), which attack and wound lizards and elevate stress-relevant hormones (corticosterone), whereas other populations have never been exposed to fire ants. We examined how a history of fire ant invasion affected the immune response in female lizards after exposure to exogenous corticosterone (mimicking exposure to a stressor) during gestation (dosing regimens differed among corticosterone-exposed lizards owing to the constraints of the original studies, but we found no evidence that this affected the outcome of the present study). A history of exposure to predatory stressors (fire ants) and corticosterone treatment affected cell-mediated immunity. Lizards from fire ant-invaded sites had a reduced immune response compared with those from uninvaded sites. Corticosterone treatment had no effect on the immune response of lizards from invaded sites but reduced the immune response of lizards from uninvaded sites. This suggests that an evolutionary history of exposure to wounding alters the immune response to corticosterone. Future work on how the immune system responds to environmental threats will be informative for the prediction and management of these threats.

Intra- and inter-specific variation in alarm pheromone produced by Solenopsis fire ants

2017 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 667-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Hu ◽  
R.R. Balusu ◽  
W.-Q. Zhang ◽  
O.S. Ajayi ◽  
Y.-Y. Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Alarm Pheromone ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Pheromone Component ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Southern United States ◽  
Specific Variation

AbstractSome fire ants of the genus Solenopsis have become invasive species in the southern United States displacing native species by competition. Although the displacement pattern seems clear, the mechanisms underlying competitive advantage remain unclear. The ability of ant workers to produce relatively larger amount of alarm pheromone may correspond to relative greater fitness among sympatric fire ant species. Here we report on quantitative intra-specific (i.e. inter-caste) and inter-specific differences of alarm pheromone component, 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (2E36DMP), for several fire ant species. The alarm pheromone component was extracted by soaking ants in hexane for 48 h and subsequently quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry at single ion monitoring mode. Solenopsis invicta workers had more 2E36DMP than male or female alates by relative weight; individual workers, however, contained significantly less pyrazine. We thus believe that alarm pheromones may serve additional roles in alates. Workers of Solenopsis richteri, S. invicta, and hybrid (S. richteri × S. invicta) had significantly more 2E36DMP than a native fire ant species, Solenopsis geminata. The hybrid fire ant had significantly less 2E36DMP than the two parent species, S. richteri and S. invicta. It seems likely that higher alarm pheromone content may have favored invasion success of exotic fire ants over native species. We discuss the potential role of inter-specific variation in pyrazine content for the relationship between the observed shifts in the spatial distributions of the three exotic fire ant species in southern United States and the displacement of native fire ant species.

scholarly journals The Economics of Optimal Foraging by the Red Imported Fire Ant

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl A Roeder ◽  
Rebecca M Prather ◽  
Anna W Paraskevopoulos ◽  
Diane V Roeder
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Inflection Point ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ant ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Collective Group ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta Buren ◽  
Discovery Time ◽  
Imported Fire Ant

Abstract For social organisms, foraging is often a complicated behavior where tasks are divided among numerous individuals. Here, we ask how one species, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), collectively manages this behavior. We tested the Diminishing Returns Hypothesis, which posits that for social insects 1) foraging investment levels increase until diminishing gains result in a decelerating slope of return and 2) the level of investment is a function of the size of the collective group. We compared how different metrics of foraging (e.g., number of foragers, mass of foragers, and body size of foragers) are correlated and how these metrics change over time. We then tested the prediction that as fire ant colonies increase in size, both discovery time and the inflection point (i.e., the time point where colonial investment toward resources slows) should decrease while a colony’s maximum foraging mass should increase. In congruence with our predictions, we found that fire ants recruited en masse toward baits, allocating 486 workers and 148 mg of biomass, on average, after 60 min: amounts that were not different 30 min prior. There was incredible variation across colonies with discovery time, the inflection point, and the maximum biomass of foragers all being significantly correlated with colony size. We suggest that biomass is a solid indicator of how social taxa invest their workforce toward resources and hypothesize ways that invasive fire ants are able to leverage their enormous workforce to dominate novel ecosystems by comparing their foraging and colony mass with co-occurring native species.

scholarly journals Red Imported Fire Ants Reduce Invertebrate Abundance, Richness, and Diversity in Gopher Tortoise Burrows

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Epperson ◽  
Craig R. Allen ◽  
Katharine F. E. Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Invertebrate Community ◽  
Gopher Tortoise ◽  
Ant Predation ◽  
Invertebrate Abundance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Imported Fire Ants ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ants

Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows support diverse commensal invertebrate communities that may be of special conservation interest. We investigated the impact of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) on the invertebrate burrow community at 10 study sites in southern Mississippi, sampling burrows (1998–2000) before and after bait treatments to reduce fire ant populations. We sampled invertebrates using an ant bait attractant for ants and burrow vacuums for the broader invertebrate community and calculated fire ant abundance, invertebrate abundance, species richness, and species diversity. Fire ant abundance in gopher tortoise burrows was reduced by >98% in treated sites. There was a positive treatment effect on invertebrate abundance, diversity, and species richness from burrow vacuum sampling which was not observed in ant sampling from burrow baits. Management of fire ants around burrows may benefit both threatened gopher tortoises by reducing potential fire ant predation on hatchlings, as well as the diverse burrow invertebrate community. Fire-ant management may also benefit other species utilizing tortoise burrows, such as the endangered Dusky Gopher Frog and Schaus swallowtail butterfly. This has implications for more effective biodiversity conservation via targeted control of the invasive fire ant at gopher tortoise burrows.

scholarly journals Eastern Fence Lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) display an ontogenetic shift in relative consumption of native and invasive prey

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron P. Venable ◽  
Tracy Langkilde
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sceloporus Undulatus ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Ontogenetic Shifts ◽  
Lifetime Experience ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta Buren ◽  
Invasive Prey ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ants

Interactions between invasive prey and native predators can provide an opportunity to better understand predator–prey dynamics and how these may change through ontogeny. Eastern Fence Lizards (Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc and Daudin in Sonnini and Latreille, 1801)) are ant specialist, particularly as juveniles. Invasive red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972) pose a lethal risk to S. undulatus that eat them, especially smaller-bodied juveniles. We examine ontogenetic shifts in S. undulatus consumption of toxic invasive fire ants versus palatable native pyramid ants (Dorymyrmex bureni (Trager, 1988)). We predicted that hatchlings should avoid eating fire ants in favor of native ants, whereas less-vulnerable adults should take advantage of both prey sources. However, when given the choice between fire ants and native ants, hatchlings consumed similar numbers of these species, whereas adults consumed nearly three times as many native ants as invasive fire ants. Increased consumption of fire ants in adulthood could be the result of lifetime experience, strategies to safely consume fire ants, ontogenetic shifts in the ability to distinguish between ants, or reduced costs to adults of eating venomous ants. Future research should aim to distinguish these alternative mechanisms and examine the long-term consequences of native species incorporating toxic invasive prey into their diets.

scholarly journals Intraspecific and Intracolonial Variation in the Profile of Venom Alkaloids and Cuticular Hydrocarbons of the Fire AntSolenopsis saevissimaSmith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson Fox ◽  
Adriana Pianaro ◽  
Daniel Russ Solis ◽  
Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie ◽  
Bruno Cunha Vairo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Cuticular Hydrocarbons ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
The World ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Chemical Characters ◽  
Neotropical Ants

Fire ants are aggressive Neotropical ants that are extensively similar in general biology and morphology, making species identification difficult. Some fire ant species are top-rated pests spreading throughout the world by trade vessels. Many researchers attempted to sort between invasive and native species by using chemical characters, including patterns of venom alkaloids. The present study is the first to report intraspecific variation in some chemical characters, namely, cuticular hydrocarbons and venom alkaloids, within the Brazilian fire ant speciesSolenopsis saevissimaand also reports on within-nest variations among members of different castes. Two different haplotypes (cryptic species) ofS. saevissimawere clearly identified, one presenting a predominant combination of the venom alkaloidscis- andtrans-2-methyl-6-undecylpiperidine with the cuticular hydrocarbons C23, 3-Me-C23, 10-C25 : 1, C25, and 3-Me-C25, and the other a predominant combination ofcis- andtrans-2-methyl-6-tridecenylpiperidine with predominance of 12-C25 : 1, C25, 11-Me-C25, 3-Me-C25, 13-C27 : 1, C27, and 13-Me-C27. Intranest variations revealed that the proportions among these compounds varied sensibly among workers of different sizes, gynes, and males (no alkaloids were detected in the latter). Larva contained vestiges of the same compounds. The recorded chemical profiles are quite different from previous reports withS. saevissimasamples from São Paulo. The finds thus support other recent claims thatS. saevissimaincludes cryptic species; the study, moreover, adds the find that they can occur in the same geographical location.

Consequences of envenomation: red imported fire ants have delayed effects on survival but not growth of native fence lizards

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Langkilde ◽  
Nicole A. Freidenfelds
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Ant Venom ◽  
Body Sizes

Context Aggressive encounters, including those with venomous species, impose selective pressure on native species. Immediate lethal outcomes of these encounters have been the primary focus of research in this field. However, not all aggressive interactions result in immediate mortality, and indirect consequences of aggressive interactions may be an equally important but under-considered selective force. The red imported fire ant is a globally important venomous invader that imposes novel selective pressure on native communities. Aims We examined indirect effects of fire ant envenomation on native fence lizard growth rates and subsequent survival. Methods Fence lizards are subject to fire ant envenomation in the field when they eat fire ants (they are stung inside the mouth) and through fire ant attack (they are stung on the body). We quantified body sizes of adult lizards from fire ant-invaded and uninvaded sites. We then experimentally exposed hatchling fence lizards to the two modes of fire ant envenomation, and quantified their growth and survival over 1 year. Key results Lizards from fire ant-invaded sites were smaller than those from an uninvaded site, even at similar latitudes. However, in contrast to studies on other native taxa, we found no effect of fire ant venom on growth rates of lizards from naïve or fire ant-invaded populations. Lizards exposed to fire ant venom, through both eating and attack, experienced higher rates of delayed mortality, with 34% of lizards dying 1–11 weeks post-envenomation compared with 12% of lizards in the control treatment. These patterns were true for fire ant naïve populations as well as those exposed to fire ants for ~35 generations. Conclusions These results suggest that the smaller body sizes observed in fence lizards from fire ant-invaded sites are not a consequence of exposure to fire ant venom. However, fence lizards from both sites suffer delayed survival costs of fire ant envenomation. Implications The present study highlights the importance of considering indirect fitness consequences of aggressive encounters if we are to fully understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these interactions, and adequately manage and predict the impacts of invasive species.

Marital Satisfaction of Portuguese Families in Times of Social Lockdown

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110098
Author(s):  
Carla Sílvia Fernandes ◽  
Bruno Magalhães ◽  
Sílvia Silva ◽  
Beatriz Edra
Keyword(s):  
Marital Satisfaction ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Marital Relations ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global threat and crisis situation, and its wide-reaching impact has also affected marital satisfaction. Dysfunction of the marital system puts the survival of the family unit at risk. This research aimed to determine the level of marital satisfaction of Portuguese families during the social lockdown and the association between the variables under study. A descriptive, exploratory study was conducted. During the social lockdown, 276 people of Portuguese nationality and residing in Portugal were recruited using nonprobabilistic convenience sampling. Marital satisfaction in the pandemic phase showed low values that may be associated with the social, economic, and political context experienced by the pandemic situation. Future research must be carried out in order to identify, prevent, and intervene in situations of violence. In addition, future research should explore not only marital satisfaction during the current pandemic but a more systemic assessment of marital relations during crises, expanding the impact of marital satisfaction in family functioning.

scholarly journals Phony peach disease: past and present impact on the peach industry in the southeastern U.S.A

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendall A. Johnson ◽  
Clive H. Bock ◽  
Phillip M. Brannen
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Disease Epidemiology ◽  
Pathogen Diversity ◽  
Foundational Research ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Phony peach disease (PPD) is caused by the plant pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. multiplex (Xfm). Historically, the disease has caused severe yield loss in Georgia and elsewhere in the southeastern United States, with millions of PPD trees being removed from peach orchards over the last century. The disease remains a production constraint, and management options are few. Limited research has been conducted on PPD since the 1980s, but the advent of new technologies offers the opportunity for new, foundational research to form a basis for informed management of PPD in the U.S. Furthermore, considering the global threat of Xylella to many plant species, preventing import of Xfm to other regions, particularly where peach is grown, should be considered an important phytosanitary endeavor. Main topics We review PPD, its history and impact on peach production, and the eradication efforts that were conducted for 42 years. Additionally, we review the current knowledge of the pathogen, Xfm, and how that knowledge relates to our understanding of the peach—Xylella pathosystem, including the epidemiology of the disease and consideration of the vectors. Methods used to detect the pathogen in peach are discussed, and ramifications of detection in relation to management and control of PPD are considered. Control options for PPD are limited. Our current knowledge of the pathogen diversity and disease epidemiology are described, and based on this, some potential areas for future research are also considered. Conclusion There is a lack of recent foundational research on PPD and the associated strain of Xfm. More research is needed to reduce the impact of this pathogen on peach production in the southeastern U.S., and, should it spread internationally, wherever peaches are grown.

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