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Antagonistic Interactions Among Common Tropical Household Ant Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2015; 3 (1): 27-32 E-ISSN: 2320-7078 Antagonistic interactions among common tropical P-ISSN: 2349-6800 JEZS 2015; 3 (1): 27-32 household ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) © 2015 JEZS Received: 06-12-2014 Accepted: 06-01-2015 David I. Abhinandini, Melally G. Venkatesha David I. Abhinandini Abstract Insect Science Laboratory, Antagonistic interactions are a common phenomenon among different ant species. Laboratory bioassays Department of Zoology, Bangalore were conducted on five species of co-occurring household ant pests i.e. Solenopsis geminata, University, Bengaluru 560056, Monomorium latinode, Paratrechina longicornis, Tapinoma melanocephalum and Camponotus India. variegatus to examine interspecific antagonistic behavior. Although all the chosen ant species were found Melally G. Venkatesha within a household environment, the study was conducted to observe aggressive behavior and Insect Science Laboratory, interference competition if any, existing between the five ant species. Aggression was more pronounced Department of Zoology, Bangalore in S. geminata than in M. latinode, P. longicornis, T. melanocephalum and C. variegatus. P. longicornis University, Bengaluru 560056, took less time to locate a food source than M. latinode, S. geminata, T. melanocephalum and C. India. variegatus, but could not continue to defend the food source against the aggressive S. geminata. Although the arrival of S. geminata was delayed at the food source, it dominated and defended the food from other ant species. The results of this study indicated that S. geminata is more aggressive and displayed dominance over other co-occurring household ant species. Keywords: Aggression, behavior, interference competition, Formicidae, household ants 1. Introduction Interspecific competition is a common behavior in ant communities [1]. Ant species aggressively fight for food and space; competition among ant species brings about aggressive or antagonistic behaviors which include intense fights, escape and/or submissive behaviour [2, 3] . The degree of aggressiveness varies in a fight between different ant species, and as a result, a dominance hierarchy exists among sympatric ant species [4, 5, 6]. Dominant ant species within a community control the occurrence of other ant species with regard to the protection of its nest, food sources and territories [7, 8]. Evidence regarding competition suggests that not only individual behaviors, but the influence that one population has on another also contributes to [9] dominance . Ant species compete with each other either directly through aggressive fight, which may result in the death of opponents or indirectly through exploitation of common space or food resources [1, 10]. A dominant territorial ant species outcompetes other ants in a community [1]. Ants are known to fight by using various means i.e. bites, stings, toxic smears [1, 11] and repellents . Invasive ant species in particular have several characteristics that enable them to dominate other ant species, including elevated levels of aggression, better efficiency in locating as well as defending food resources and often occur at high densities in invaded areas [12, 13, 14, 15, 16]. Co-existing ant species alter their foraging strategy by either foraging on different food [17] resources or have different foraging timings . Urbanization destroys the habitat of many specialist species and often creates an attractive habitat for generalist species which have a wide adaptability to urban conditions [18]. Invasive ant species are found to adapt to a wider range of climatic conditions [19] and thereby occur as common household pests. A number of studies on interspecific aggression among invasive ant species have been carried out both in [20, 21, 22, 23] the field and laboratory . Information on the competitive ability and dominance on food resources of tropical household ant species is lacking. Hence, a study was conducted in the Insect Science Laboratory at Bangalore University, Bengaluru, India. In this study, we investigated interspecific antagonistic behavior of five commonly occurring household ant Correspondence: species viz., Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), Monomorium latinode (Mayr), Tapinoma Melally G. Venkatesha Insect Science Laboratory, melanocephalum (Fabricius), Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) and Camponotus variegatus Department of Zoology, (Fr. Smith). The tropical fire ant, S. geminata native to tropical and temperate regions of the Bangalore University, Bengaluru New World has spread worldwide through human means. It invaded parts of Africa and Asia 560056, India. (including India and Japan), some Indian Ocean islands (including Madagascar) and various ~ 27 ~ Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies Pacific Ocean islands (including New Caledonia and the includes lunging, biting, pulling legs/antenna or stinging and Hawaiian and Galapagos archipelagos) [13, 24]. C. variegatus is 4= prolonged fight including death. Only behaviours with native to south-east Asia [25]. M. latinode is spread across the scores of 2 and above were considered aggressive. Pairing of Indo-Australian region [26]. P. longicornis, a common ‘tramp five ant species formed ten combinations. The total aggressive species’ native of West Africa has spread pan-tropically [27]. index indicating the aggression of each ant species was The origin of T. melanocephalum is ambiguous and is assumed calculated by totalling the behavioral index scores of 2 and to be either from Africa or the Oriental region [28]. Knowledge above. The method of Grover et al. [32] was used to calculate obtained from the study on the interactions between common aggressive index. For each 90 min trial, the number of ants household ant species could be useful to understand their which were involved in each behavioral category every 15 min dominance hierarchy and the effects it could have on co- were recorded. The average for that category was calculated. existing ant species. The average obtained was multiplied by the aggression scale for that behavior. The result was then summed along with the 2. Materials and methods averages obtained for the other behavioral scales to get the Interspecific aggression between workers of five ant species final aggressive index. viz., S. geminata, M. latinode, T. melanocephalum, P. Longicornis and C. variegatus was examined in the laboratory Table 1: Combination of different household ant species and food over a period of six weeks during March-April 2011 to presented in aggression bioassays observe the highest level of aggression in different sympatric Sl. Ant combination Food ant species, range of aggressive behaviors between ant species, No. time taken by different ant species to locate a food source and 1 Tapinoma melanocephalum vs Boiled egg ability to dominate a food source. Solenopsis geminata yolk 2 Tapinoma melanocephalum vs Boiled egg 2.1 Collection and maintenance of ant species in the Monomorium latinode yolk laboratory 3 Tapinoma melanocephalum vs Honey Worker ants of monomorphic species T. melanocephalum and Paratrechina longicornis P. longicornis and minor workers of polymorphic species S. 4 Tapinoma melanocephalum vs Honey geminata, M. latinode and C. variegatus were collected for the Camponotus variegatus study. The worker ants that were moving away from the nest 5 Solenopsis geminata vs Monomorium Boiled egg in search of food were collected a day prior to the experiment latinode yolk 6 Solenopsis geminata vs Paratrechina Honey with the help of an aspirator. The ants that were collected longicornis neither had their gasters full nor were they carrying any food 7 Solenopsis geminata vs Camponotus Cockroach back to the nest. The collected ants were kept in a temporary variegatus plastic box (22 x15 x10 cm) containing a thin layer of damp 8 Monomorium latinode vs Mixed fruit sand at the bottom to maintain moisture for the better survival Paratrechina longicornis Jam of ants. In the laboratory, the ants were fed on water supplied 9 Monomorium latinode vs Camponotus Boiled egg with a cotton bung. variegatus yolk 10 Paratrechina longicornis vs Honey 2.2 Aggression bioassay Camponotus variegatus Aggression assays were carried out in Petri dishes (20 cm in diameter). The inner wall of the Petri dish was coated with Fluon™ to prevent the ants from escaping. A food source was The time taken by the first individual of an ant species to kept in the centre of the Petri dish. Bait is commonly used in locate the food source was recorded (in minutes) as the food antagonistic behavioral studies as it reduces escape and brings discovery time. The species with the most individuals found about aggressive behaviors [12, 29]. Based on our earlier studies, on the food at the end of the experimental period was recorded food sources were chosen in the experiment based on their as the dominant species. Ant species were ranked based on the greater attraction to a particular food [30] (Table 1). The method of Cerdá et al. [33] where interspecific interactions at procedure for aggression bioassay was based on the method of the food source was categorized as expulsion (in which one ant Chong and Lee [20] with modifications. Ten worker ants of two species chases away another), co-existence (where workers of different species were aspirated separately into glass tubes (15 both ant species occur on a food source without any cm height and 4 cm diameter). The tubes were then inverted at aggression) and escape (when an ant species which had opposite
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