Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) reduce numbers and impede development of a burrow-nesting seabird

Plentovich, Sheldon; Russell, Todd; Fejeran, Christine Camacho

doi:10.1007/s10530-017-1516-z

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This could vary from predation to commensalism, in this case through secondary ingestion of bird feathers or faeces while scavenging bird regurgitations (as we detected fish DNA in the gecko's diet). This link could even be due to secondary consumption when feeding on ants, as studies have shown that they can feed extensively on seabirds (Boieiro et al, 2018;Plentovich, Russell & Fejeran, 2018). After considering all evidence we have discarded this last possibility since pellets with confirmed seabird sequences are different from those with confirmed ant sequences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning the proverb ‘more haste, less speed’: classic versus metabarcoding approaches for the diet study of a remote island endemic gecko

Gil

Pinho

Aguiar

et al. 2020

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dietary studies can reveal valuable information on how species exploit their habitats and are of particular importance for insular endemics conservation as these species present higher risk of extinction. Reptiles are often neglected in island systems, principally the ones inhabiting remote areas, therefore little is known on their ecological networks. The Selvagens gecko Tarentola (boettgeri) bischoffi, endemic to the remote and integral reserve of Selvagens Archipelago, is classified as Vulnerable by the Portuguese Red Data Book. Little is known about this gecko's ecology and dietary habits, but it is assumed to be exclusively insectivorous. The diet of the continental Tarentola species was already studied using classical methods. Only two studies have used next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques for this genus thus far, and very few NGS studies have been employed for reptiles in general. Considering the lack of information on its diet and the conservation interest of the Selvagens gecko, we used morphological and DNA metabarcoding approaches to characterize its diet. The traditional method of morphological identification of prey remains in faecal pellets collected over a longer period was compared with metabarcoding of samples collected during rapid surveys. Molecular results revealed that this species is a generalist, feeding on invertebrate, plant and vertebrate items, whereas the morphological approaches were unable to detect the latter two. These results opened up new questions on the ecological role of the Selvagens gecko that deserves to be further explored, such as the possible predation on seabirds, plant services or trophic competition with the sympatric Madeira lizard Teira dugesii. Metabarcoding identified a greater diversity of dietary items at higher taxonomic resolution, but morphological identification enabled calculation of relative abundances and biomasses of ingested arthropods, and detected a dietary shift on invertebrate preys between seasons. Results of this study highlight the global applicability of rapid metabarcoding surveys for understudied taxa on remote islands that are difficult to access. We recommend using the metabarcoding approach, even if 'speedy' sampling only is possible, but we must highlight that disregarding long-term ecological data may lead to 'hasty' conclusion.How to cite this article Gil V, Pinho CJ, Aguiar CAS, Jardim C, Rebelo R, Vasconcelos R. 2020. Questioning the proverb 'more haste, less speed': classic versus metabarcoding approaches for the diet study of a remote island endemic gecko. PeerJ 8:e8084 http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8084

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning the proverb ‘more haste, less speed’: classic versus metabarcoding approaches for the diet study of a remote island endemic gecko

Gil

Pinho

Aguiar

et al. 2020

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These interactions are still relatively under‐studied, and the effects of ants on seabird colonies may often be undetected (Plentovich et al . 2018). Mammals that occupy or raise their young in burrows, are also likely to be highly susceptible to Red Imported Fire Ant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seabirds may be particularly vulnerable to harm from ants as most species nest in colonies which provide plentiful food resources for ants (Plentovich et al 2009). These interactions are still relatively under-studied, and the effects of ants on seabird colonies may often be undetected (Plentovich et al 2018). Mammals that occupy or raise their young in burrows, are also likely to be highly susceptible to Red Imported Fire Ant.…”

Section: Biodiversity Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting socio‐economic and biodiversity impacts of invasive species: Red Imported Fire Ant in the developing western Pacific

Gruber¹,

Janssen-May²,

Santoro³

et al. 2021

Eco Management Restoration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effective biosecurity and pest management are fundamental to sustainable development. Invasive ants pose significant risks to the environment and economy, which are well-managed by biosecurity agencies in developed countries. However, a comprehensive view of the potential impacts of invasive ants in developing Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) is lacking. We quantified the potential costs of the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) across multiple sectors using an extrapolation analysis. Overall, we estimated that the impacts of Red Imported Fire Ant on developing PICTs could amount to over USD 329 million annually, corresponding to approximately 0.7% of combined GDP. Over half of the costs were predicted to result from impacts on the agriculture sector, a major source of employment and subsistence. We found that over 350 highly threatened species could be at risk from Red Imported Fire Ant. We would expect countries with Least Developed Country status and relatively low GDP to be least able to respond to an incursion of these ants, and as a result the costs could be higher than we have extrapolated. Red Imported Fire Ant could therefore potentially have considerable impact on the ongoing development of the region.

show abstract

“…Anoplolepis gracilipes is a damaging invasive species with a wide distribution across the tropics and subtropics 24, 25 . Anoplolepis gracilipes may diminish invertebrate and vertebrate populations with cascading effects to broader ecological scales 24, 26–28 . Given the high probability for ecological and economic damage 29, 30 land managers are keen to extirpate, or at least manage, A. gracilipes infestations 23, 31, 32 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low reduction of invasive ant colony productivity with an insect growth regulator

Yeeles

Strain

Lenancker

et al. 2020

Pest Management Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND Insect growth regulators (IGRs) generally are considered to have safer eco‐toxicological profiles than the more commonly used neurotoxins and metabolic inhibitors, and are extremely effective against several insect groups, including some invasive ant species. However, use of an IGR product in a large‐scale eradication program for a widespread invasive ant (Anoploepis gracilipes; yellow crazy ant) was ineffective. We tested the IGR in question (active ingredient: (S)‐methoprene) on A. gracilipes colonies in a laboratory environment to evaluate efficacy. RESULTS We found that treatment with (S)‐methoprene resulted in lower egg production with subsequently decreased numbers of larvae, pupae, and workers over the 135 days of the experiment. None of the treated colonies died, and the number of worker ants in treated colonies was 36% of that seen in control colonies 135 days post‐treatment. Treated queen egg production was 39% lower than queens in control colonies, but we saw no effect of treatment on the internal physiology of dissected queens. Treatment had no effect on worker activity levels. CONCLUSION Our results show that although (S)‐methoprene treatment reduced production of larvae, pupae and workers in treated colonies, the magnitude of reduction was lower than might be expected considering the responses of other species against which this IGR has been tested. Our findings highlight a need for testing species‐specific responses to IGR‐based insecticides in a controlled environment, before broad‐scale field applications that could result in suboptimal management of the target species. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

show abstract

Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) reduce numbers and impede development of a burrow-nesting seabird

Cited by 26 publications

References 29 publications

Questioning the proverb ‘more haste, less speed’: classic versus metabarcoding approaches for the diet study of a remote island endemic gecko

Questioning the proverb ‘more haste, less speed’: classic versus metabarcoding approaches for the diet study of a remote island endemic gecko

Predicting socio‐economic and biodiversity impacts of invasive species: Red Imported Fire Ant in the developing western Pacific

Low reduction of invasive ant colony productivity with an insect growth regulator

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About