Global warming may freeze the invasion of big-headed ants

Bertelsmeier, Cléo; Luque, Gloria M.; Courchamp, Franck

doi:10.1007/s10530-012-0390-y

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The selected variables were (in the order of their relative contribution to the Maxent model): Precipitation of the driest month, isothermality, precipitation of the warmest quarter and maximum temperature of the warmest month. These variables are believed to directly influence ant distributions because many features of ant biology are sensitive to small differences in temperature [16] or humidity, for example foraging [11], oviposition rates [44], survival [10], the structure of foraging networks [12].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally we used the Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent) which estimates a probability distribution of a species being present by seeking the most widespread distribution, given a set of constraints [18], [57], [58]. For a more detailed description of these algorithms see [16], [19]. All models were run using the ModEco Platform with default parameters [59].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is generally accepted that with climate change, many invasive ant species will progressively colonize higher latitudes and altitudes, where the currently too cold climatic conditions are expected to become more suitable [14], [15]. In this regard, several studies have used species distribution models [16]–[19] or physiological experiments [11], [20], [21] to investigate the relationship between temperature and humidity and ant distribution. Climate is one of the most important factors influencing the distribution of ants [22]–[24] and climatic suitability has been shown to be even the most important factor responsible for the current global distribution of the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, few studies have gone beyond the estimation of current potential invasive range and forecast also the future potential distributions of invasive species in general (but see [27]–[29]). Furthermore, such pioneer studies estimating the future potential ranges of invasive ants have concentrated on the few species of Linepithema humile [25], [30] Solenopsis invicta [31] and Pheidole megacephala [16], leaving a great knowledge gap for most other major invasive ant species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate Change May Boost the Invasion of the Asian Needle Ant

2013

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Following its introduction from Asia to the USA, the Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis) is rapidly spreading into a wide range of habitats with great negative ecological affects. In addition, the species is a concern for human health because of its powerful, sometimes deadly, sting. Here, we assessed the potential of P. chinensis to spread further and to invade entirely new regions. We used species distribution models to assess suitable areas under current climatic conditions and in 2020, 2050 and 2080. With a consensus model, combining five different modelling techniques, three Global Circulation (climatic) Models and two CO2 emission scenarios, we generated world maps with suitable climatic conditions. Our models suggest that the species currently has a far greater potential distribution than its current exotic range, including large parts of the world landmass, including Northeast America, Southeast Asia and Southeast America. Climate change is predicted to greatly exacerbate the risk of P. chinensis invasion by increasing the suitable landmass by 64.9% worldwide, with large increases in Europe (+210.1%), Oceania (+75.1%), North America (+74.9%) and Asia (+62.7%). The results of our study suggest P. chinensis deserves increased attention, especially in the light of on-going climate change.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate Change May Boost the Invasion of the Asian Needle Ant

2013

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“…Throughout the 20th century, shifts in the latitudinal (see example in Parmesan and Yohe 2003) and altitudinal (Lenoir et al 2008) ranges of different plant species have been observed and related to rising temperatures. Previous work suggests that the distribution of invasive species will likely increase due to climate and land-use changes (Pyšek et al 2002;Kleinbauer et al 2010;Vicente et al 2010Vicente et al , 2011Vicente et al , 2013, but this is not always the case (Parker-Allie et al 2009;Bertelsmeier et al 2013;Gallagher et al 2013). However, these results were associated with individual species and/or were locally dependent, and general conclusions are difficult to achieve (see Bellard et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing current and future risks of invasion by the “green cancer” Miconia calvescens

et al. 2015

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Miconia calvescens D.C. appears in the list ''100 of the world's worst invasive alien species'', devised by the IUCN. It is considered the worst plant pest in Hawaii and French Polynesia. This species has also invaded the rain forest of Australia, New Caledonia and Sri Lanka, where it is extremely difficult to eradicate. To assess the susceptibility to invasion by M. calvescens in new areas, we investigated the current and future suitable areas for this aggressive invader worldwide. We also assessed the protected areas currently at risk of invasion by considering botanic gardens as a proxy for likelihood of introduction, since most successful invasions by M. calvescens originated from private or public garden escapees. Our results predict that about 7.2 % of total landmass is currently suitable for M. calvescens, with 54.8 % outside the native range including 44.5 % within tropical forests in the southern hemisphere. We identified 91 countries, 400 islands, and up to 364 protected areas with suitable environments outside of M. calvescens native range. By the 2080s, worldwide land suitable for M. calvescens is predicted to be reduced by up to half due to climate change. This decrease is mainly predicted to occur in M. calvescens native ranges as well as in countries where the presence of the species has not yet been reported. In contrast, the invaded range is predicted to slightly decrease, showing an interesting example of a double negative effect of climate change on the distribution of an invader. Our work provides information for land managers and stakeholders that can help to avert the introduction and spread of M. calvescens in their territories. We also emphasize the importance of risk assessments on the living collections of botanic gardens, as a common source of escapees of invasive plants.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (

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A global review of socioeconomic and environmental impacts of ants reveals new insights for risk assessment

Gruber

Santoro

Cooling

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Risk assessments are fundamental to invasive species management and are underpinned by comprehensive characterization of invasive species impacts. Our understanding of the impacts of invasive species is growing constantly, and several recently developed frameworks offer the opportunity to systematically categorize environmental and socioeconomic impacts of invasive species. Invasive ants are among the most widespread and damaging invaders. Although a handful of species receives most of the policy attention, nearly 200 species have established outside their native range. Here, we provide a global, comprehensive assessment of the impacts of ants and propose a priority list of risk species. We used the Socioeconomic Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (SEICAT), Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and Generic Impact Scoring System (GISS) to analyze 642 unique sources for 100 named species. Different methodologies provided generally consistent results. The most frequently identified socioeconomic impacts were to human health. Environmental impacts were primarily on animal and plant populations, with the most common mechanisms being predation and competition. Species recognized as harmful nearly 20 years ago featured prominently, including Wasmannia auropunctata (little fire ant, electric ant), Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant), Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant), and Pheidole megacephala (African big‐headed ant). All these species except W. auropunctata have been implicated in local extinctions of native species. Although our assessments affirmed that the most serious impacts have been driven by a small number of species, our results also highlighted a substantial number of less well publicized species that have had major environmental impacts and may currently be overlooked when prioritizing prevention efforts. Several of these species were ranked as high or higher than some of the previously recognized “usual suspects,” most notably Nylanderia fulva (tawny crazy ant). We compared and combined our assessments with trait‐based profiles and other lists to propose a consensus set of 31 priority species. Ever‐increasing global trade contributes to growing rates of species introductions. The integrated approaches we used can contribute to robust, holistic risk assessments for many taxa entrained in these pathways.

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Global warming may freeze the invasion of big-headed ants

Cited by 23 publications

References 69 publications

Climate Change May Boost the Invasion of the Asian Needle Ant

Climate Change May Boost the Invasion of the Asian Needle Ant

Assessing current and future risks of invasion by the “green cancer” Miconia calvescens

A global review of socioeconomic and environmental impacts of ants reveals new insights for risk assessment

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