Effect of an invasive ant and its chemical control on a threatened endemic Seychelles millipede

Abstract

The impact of invasive species on island faunas can be of major local consequence, while their control is an important part of island ecosystem restoration. Among these invasive species are ants, of which some have a disruptive impact on indigenous arthropod populations. Here, we study the impact of the invasive African big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala, on a small Seychelles island, Cousine, and assess the impact of this ant, and its chemical control, using the commercially available hydramethylnon-based bait, Siege, on the endemic keystone Seychelles giant millipede species, Sechelleptus seychellarum. We found no significant correlations in landscape-scale spatial overlap and abundance between the ant and the millipede. Furthermore, the ant did not attack healthy millipedes, but fed only on dying and dead individuals. The chemical defences of the millipede protected it from ant predation. Ingestion of the bait at standard concentration had no obvious impact on the millipede. The most significant threat to the Seychelles giant millipede in terms of P. megacephala invasion is from possible catastrophic shifts in ecosystem function through ant hemipteran mutualisms which can lead to tree mortality, resulting in alteration of the millipede's habitat.

Protein Folding and Quality Control in the ER

“…For therapeutic purposes, chemical chaperones that stabilize mutant proteins and help polypeptides to achieve native structure have been extensively investigated (Lawrence et al 2011;McLaughlin and Vandenbroeck 2010). 4-phenyl butyric acid (4-PBA) is a successful low-molecular weight compound that has been shown to have a beneficial effect on several misfolding-related diseases, including cystic fibrosis, a-1-antitrypsin (a1AT) deficiency, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (Ozcan et al 2006;Hutt et al 2009).…”

Population dynamics of a threatened giant millipede: implications for restoration

“…While the SGM readily ingests the bait and appears not to be harmed in the short‐term (Lawrence et al. ), the long‐term impacts of bait ingestion on the millipede are not known. Also, ant bait is now being administered via bait stations to reduce SGM access to the bait (Gaigher et al.…”

Historical arthropod diversity patterns direct rehabilitation targets for Robben Island, South Africa, a continental island in a biodiversity hotspot

“…Little is known of Robben Island's native arthropod species, particularly what was present before human occupation, making it difficult to set a restoration target. However, arthropod populations on islands have been shown to exhibit greater resilience to disturbance than expected from other faunal groups, with rapid reestablishment after alien removal (Priddel et al ., ; Lawrence et al ., ; St Clair et al ., ; Watts et al ., ; Roets & Pryke, ). Determining which arthropod species are native to islands, however, remains a major challenge to conservationists as homogenization and anthropogenic habitat degradation often alter these systems (Gillespie & Roderick, ).…”