Thermal Ecology and Management of the Invasive Tawny Crazy Ant, Nylanderia Fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THERMAL ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE INVASIVE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) By MICHAEL THOMAS BENTLEY A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 © 2016 Michael Thomas Bentley To my family and friends that helped make this achievement possible ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank all of those who helped me complete this journey. First, I owe my deepest appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Faith Oi, my supervisory committee chair, for providing me the opportunity to return to graduate school and to make this degree possible. Thank you for your motivation, support, understanding, and patience that helped keep me going through even the toughest of times. I am eternally grateful for all that you have done for me both professionally and personally. Thank you to my other committee members, Dr. David Oi, Dr. Katie Sieving, and Dr. Daniel Hahn. Your guidance and expertise within and outside of the field of entomology have provided an education that I will carry far beyond the field of science. It was an honor and a privilege to have been mentored by such remarkable scientists. I would also like to acknowledge my parents, Mike and Jill Bentley, for their never- ending love and support of my academic endeavors. I am beyond fortunate to have always had the love and encouragement of these amazing people to help me reach the end of this long and difficult academic journey. It is an honor to share this degree with them both, because without them none of this would have ever been possible. Lastly, thanks to all my additional family and friends that have motivated, supported, and sacrificed to help me reach this final chapter in my formal education. I have asked a lot from all of you these past few years, and you have gladly given more than I could have ever expected in return. Thank you. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................8 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................10 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................15 Taxonomy and History of Nylanderia ....................................................................................18 Biology and Habits of N. fulva ...............................................................................................22 Life Stages .......................................................................................................................22 The Colony ......................................................................................................................23 Nest Sites .........................................................................................................................24 Communication ...............................................................................................................24 Foraging Behavior ...........................................................................................................26 Pest Status and Management of N. fulva .........................................................................28 2 THE THERMAL BREADTH OF NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) IS NARROWER THAN THAT OF SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (BUREN) AT THREE THERMAL RAMPING RATES: 1.0, 0.12 AND 0.06 °C ..................................................................................................................33 Introduction .............................................................................................................................33 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................................35 Collection and Maintenance of Field Colonies. ..............................................................35 Critical Thermal Limits. ..................................................................................................35 Data Analysis. ..................................................................................................................36 Results.....................................................................................................................................37 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................38 3 TUNNELING PERFORMANCE INCREASES AT LOWER TEMPERATURES FOR SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (BUREN) BUT NOT FOR NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) .......45 Introduction .............................................................................................................................45 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................................47 Collection of Field Colonies ............................................................................................47 Two-Dimensional Tunneling Assays and Experimental Design .....................................48 Analysis ...........................................................................................................................49 Results.....................................................................................................................................49 Conclusions.............................................................................................................................50 5 4 COMPETITIVE SUCCESS FOR CARBOHYDRATE AND PROTEIN RESOURCES INCREASES AT LOWER TEMPERATURES FOR NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) AND SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (BUREN) WHEN COLONIES ARE EQUAL-SIZED ........59 Introduction .............................................................................................................................59 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................................60 Collection of Field Colonies ............................................................................................60 All Assays ........................................................................................................................61 Impact of Temperature on Foraging Behavior without Competition: .............................61 Impact of Temperature on Foraging when Forced to Compete for Resources: ..............62 Analysis ...........................................................................................................................62 Results and Discussion ...........................................................................................................64 Without Competition .......................................................................................................64 In the Presence of Competition .......................................................................................65 5 NUMERICAL ADVANTAGE IMPROVES COMPETITIVE SUCCESS FOR RESOURCES AT LOWER TEMPERATURE FOR NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) AND AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES FOR SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (BUREN) ...............77 Introduction .............................................................................................................................77 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................................77 Collection of Field Colonies ............................................................................................77 Impact of Temperature and Worker Ratio When Competing for Resources: .................78 Analysis. ..........................................................................................................................79 Results and Discussion ...........................................................................................................80 250, 500, or 1000 N. fulva Vs a Competitor (500 S. invicta) ..........................................80 500 S. invicta vs a Competitor (250, 500, or 1000 N. fulva) ...........................................81 6 SOLENOPSIS INVICTA (BUREN) ARE DISPLACED FROM SUCROSE AND PROTEIN RESOURCES BY LOW AND HIGH NUMBERS OF NYLANDERIA FULVA (MAYR) ....................................................................................................................97 Introduction .............................................................................................................................97 Materials and Methods ...........................................................................................................98 Collection of Field Colonies ............................................................................................98 Solenopsis invicta Introduction Experiments ..................................................................99 Data Analysis. ................................................................................................................100 Results and Discussion .........................................................................................................101 7 FIELD POPULATIONS