Distribution and Density of Polygyne Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Texas

Porter, Sanford D.; Bhatkar, A. P.; Mulder, Roger; Vinson, Bradleigh S.; Clair, Daniel J.

doi:10.1093/jee/84.3.866

Cited by 95 publications

(97 citation statements)

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“…Soil is an important aspect of the S. richteri habitat. It has been described that colonies occur in different soil types (sandy, clayey or silty, Porter et al 1997, Green et al 1999, without a correlation between density of colonies and soil type (Wangberg et al 1980, Porter et al 1991. Our results showed that ants are associated with well-developed soils, and without crabs.…”

Section: Relationship Between Ants and Marsh Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 57%

Ant predation on intertidal polychaetes in a SW Atlantic estuary

Palomo

Martinetto²,

Pérez³

et al. 2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Polychaetes in soft-bottom intertidal habitats of the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (38°00' S, 57°30' W, Argentina) are the prey of shorebirds, fishes and crabs. Based on 3 yr of field sampling, we observed that the fire ant Solenopsis richteri is another important predator of polychaetes (mostly Laeonereis acuta) during the summer (December to March). Ants use intertidal areas adjacent to terrestrial habitats which have well-developed soils and are characterized by inland vegetation (i.e. pampas grasses), but appear to be excluded from habitats with the burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulata. Ants build intertidal galleries perpendicular to the shoreline that are used to transport polychaetes to the nest. The ants attacked the polychaetes in burrows with diameters larger than their own abdomen. They selected larger polychaete sizes, attacking up to 66% of the polychaetes in the high intertidal. Based on our observations, and given the wide range of this species and related fire ants, we believe that this terrestrial-marine interaction between fire ants and polychaetes could be a common phenomenon. KEY WORDS: Fire ant · Predation · Polychaetes · Terrestrial-marine interactionResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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Section: Relationship Between Ants and Marsh Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 57%

Ant predation on intertidal polychaetes in a SW Atlantic estuary

Palomo

Martinetto²,

Pérez³

et al. 2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…Mature colonies occurred at an average density of 323 ±119 colonies per hectare (n = 66), which is strikingly similar to field estimates from monogyne populations in the southern USA (300 ±240 colonies/ha, Porter et al 1991). Core and edge populations experienced divergent selection regimes during range expansion.…”

Section: Optimal Investmentsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Our populations displayed near total occupancy of available habitat (Korzukhin and Porter 1994), closely packed irregularly shaped territories (Adams 1998), size distributions consisting of many small colonies and a few large ones (Tschinkel 2013), and population densities similar to those in the field (323 ±119 colonies/ha simulated versus 300 ±240 in the field, Porter et al 1991). We note, on the other hand, that in our simulated populations, the observed frequency of parasitic founding and the optimal reproductive investment in interior colonies (>40% of colonies headed by parasites, 40-50% investment in parasitic queens) more accurately describe the native S. geminata (35% of colonies, 33% investment in parasites, McInnes and Tschinkel 1995) than S. invicta (3.5% of colonies, <10% investment in parasites, DeHeer and Tschinkel 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Range expansion drives the evolution of alternate reproductive strategies in invasive fire ants

Helms¹,

Bridge²

2017

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Many species are expanding their ranges in response to climate changes or species introductions. Expansion-related selection likely drives the evolution of dispersal and reproductive traits, especially in invasive species introduced into novel habitats. We used an agent-based model to investigate these relationships in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, by tracking simulated populations over 25 years. Most colonies of this invasive species produce two types of queens practicing alternate reproductive strategies. Claustral queens found new colonies in vacant habitats, while parasitic queens take over existing colonies whose queens have died. We investigated how relative investment in the two queen types affects population demography, habitat occupancy, and range expansion. We found that parasitic queens extend the ecological lifespan of colonies, thereby increasing a population's overall habitat occupancy as well as average colony size (number of workers) and territory size. At the same time, investment in parasitic queens slowed the rate of range expansion by diverting investment from claustral queens. Divergent selection regimes caused edge and interior populations to evolve different levels of reproductive investment, such that interior populations invested heavily in parasitic queens whereas those at the edge invested almost entirely in claustral queens. Our results highlight factors shaping ant life histories, including the evolution of social parasitism, and have implications for the response of species to range shifts.

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“…Polygynous, or multiple-queen, colonies lack intraspecific territoriality and typically occur at much greater densities, as high as 1,400 mounds per ha (Maxwell et al: 1982). In Texas, polygynous colonies constitute >50% of all infestations (Porter et al 1991). The spread of polygynous colonies, and increased awareness of their potential ecolOgical disruption, have increased the interest in determining RIFA effects on indigenous species.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%