Coexistence Between Cyphomyrmex Ants and Dominant Populations Of
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Immediate Impacts of Invasion by Wasmannia Auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on Native Litter Ant Fauna in a New Caledonian Rainforest
Austral Ecology (2003) 28, 204–209 Immediate impacts of invasion by Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on native litter ant fauna in a New Caledonian rainforest J. LE BRETON,1,2* J. CHAZEAU1 AND H. JOURDAN1,2 1Laboratoire de Zoologie Appliquée, Centre IRD de Nouméa, B.P. A5, 98948 Nouméa CEDEX, Nouvelle-Calédonie (Email: [email protected]) and 2Laboratoire d’Ecologie Terrestre, Université Toulouse III, Toulouse, France Abstract For the last 30 years, Wasmannia auropunctata (the little fire ant) has spread throughout the Pacific and represents a severe threat to fragile island habitats. This invader has often been described as a disturbance specialist. Here we present data on its spread in a dense native rainforest in New Caledonia. We monitored by pitfall trapping the litter ant fauna along an invasive gradient from the edge to the inner forest in July 1999 and March 2000. When W. auropunctata was present, the abundance and richness of native ants drops dramatically. In invaded plots, W. auropunctata represented more than 92% of all trapped ant fauna. Among the 23 native species described, only four cryptic species survived. Wasmannia auropunctata appears to be a highly competitive ant that dominates the litter by eliminating native ants. Mechanisms involved in this invasive success may include predation as well as competitive interactions (exploitation and interference). The invasive success of W. auropunctata is similar to that of other tramp ants and reinforces the idea of common evolutionary traits leading to higher competitiveness in a new environment. Key words: ant diversity, biological invasion, New Caledonia, Wasmannia auropunctata. INTRODUCTION This small myrmicine, recorded for the first time in New Caledonia in 1972 (Fabres & Brown 1978), has In the Pacific area, New Caledonia is recognized as a now invaded a wide array of habitats on the main unique biodiversity hot spot (Myers et al. -
Symbiotic Adaptations in the Fungal Cultivar of Leaf-Cutting Ants
ARTICLE Received 15 Apr 2014 | Accepted 24 Oct 2014 | Published 1 Dec 2014 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6675 Symbiotic adaptations in the fungal cultivar of leaf-cutting ants Henrik H. De Fine Licht1,w, Jacobus J. Boomsma2 & Anders Tunlid1 Centuries of artificial selection have dramatically improved the yield of human agriculture; however, strong directional selection also occurs in natural symbiotic interactions. Fungus- growing attine ants cultivate basidiomycete fungi for food. One cultivar lineage has evolved inflated hyphal tips (gongylidia) that grow in bundles called staphylae, to specifically feed the ants. Here we show extensive regulation and molecular signals of adaptive evolution in gene trancripts associated with gongylidia biosynthesis, morphogenesis and enzymatic plant cell wall degradation in the leaf-cutting ant cultivar Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. Comparative analysis of staphylae growth morphology and transcriptome-wide expressional and nucleotide divergence indicate that gongylidia provide leaf-cutting ants with essential amino acids and plant-degrading enzymes, and that they may have done so for 20–25 million years without much evolutionary change. These molecular traits and signatures of selection imply that staphylae are highly advanced coevolutionary organs that play pivotal roles in the mutualism between leaf-cutting ants and their fungal cultivars. 1 Microbial Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden. 2 Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. w Present Address: Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to H.H.D.F.L. -
A Bioeconomic Model of Little Fire Ant Wasmannia Auropunctata in Hawaii
The Hawai`i-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit & Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I AT MĀNOA Dr. David C. Duffy, Unit Leader Department of Botany 3190 Maile Way, St. John #408 Honolulu, Hawai’i 96822 Technical Report 186 A bioeconomic model of Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata in Hawaii December 2013 Michael Motoki1, Donna J. Lee1,2, Cas Vanderwoude3,4,5, Stuart T. Nakamoto6 and PingSun Leung1 1 Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management, University of Hawaii 2 DJL Economic Consulting, Honolulu, Hawaii 3 Hawaii Department of Agriculture 4 The Hawaii Ant Lab, Hilo, Hawaii 5 The Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii 6 Department of Human Nutrition, Food & Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii PCSU is a cooperative program between the University of Hawai`i and U.S. National Park Service, Cooperative Ecological Studies Unit. Author Contact Information: Donna J. Lee, DJL Economic Consulting, Honolulu HI, DJL. [email protected]. Phone: 808.226- 9079 Recommended Citation: Motoki, M., D.J. Lee, C. Vanderwoude, S.T. Nakamoto and P.S. Leung. 2013. A bioeconomic model of Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata in Hawaii. Technical Report No. 186. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, Hawai`i. 89 pp. Key words: Wasmannia auropunctata, bioeconomic modeling, invasive species, socio-economic impacts Place key words: Hawaii, Big Island, Kauai, Maui Editor: David C. Duffy, PCSU Unit Leader (Email: [email protected]) Series Editor: Clifford W. Morden, PCSU Deputy Director (Email: [email protected]) About this technical report series: This technical report series began in 1973 with the formation of the Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. -
Manipulating Tropical Fire Ants to Reduce the Coffee Berry Borer
Ecological Entomology (2014), DOI: 10.1111/een.12139 Manipulating tropical fire ants to reduce the coffee berry borer WARING TRIBLE1 and R O N C A R R O L L 2 1The Rockefeller University, New York , New York, U.S.A. and 2Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, U.S.A. Abstract. 1. The coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera, Curculion- idae) (Ferrari) is the most important pest of coffee production worldwide. 2. The hypothesis that the tropical !re ant, Solenopsis geminata Westwood, indirectly protects the coffee berry borer by suppressing other ant species that are the coffee berry borer’s primary predators was tested. 3. It was found that removing S. geminata from coffee plots signi!cantly increased the disappearance of adult coffee berry borer beetles from coffee berries compared with control plots. An average of 6% of beetles disappeared from plots with S. geminata whereas 23% of beetles disappeared from plots from which S. geminata was removed. This pattern was observed on two shade coffee farms with marked differences in ant species composition, one in the rainforest in central Costa Rica and one in the cloudforest in northwest Costa Rica. 4. If the results of this small-scale study can be replicated on the farm level, then S. geminata suppression may represent a new management technique for the coffee berry borer throughout Central and South America. Key words. Biological control, coffee berry borer, !re ant, Formicidae, Hypothenemus hampei, Solenopsis. Introduction coffee berries in the soil, and soil-dwelling ants may thus play an important role in reducing dry season coffee berry borer Coffee is the second most important commodity in the world by populations and minimising future outbreaks (Armbrecht & value, and the coffee berry borer is a beetle that constitutes the Gallego, 2007; Jaramillo et al.,2007;Chapmanet al.,2009; most important pest in coffee production worldwide (Damon, Vélez et al., 2006). -
Eradicating Wasmannia Auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Maui, Hawaii: the Use of Combination Treatments to Control an Arboreal Invasive Ant
LProceedingsittLe Fire A ofnt the er AhdicawaiianAtion eonntomological MAui society (2010) 42:23–31 23 Eradicating Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Maui, Hawaii: The Use of Combination Treatments to Control an Arboreal Invasive Ant Cas Vanderwoude1, Kyle Onuma2, and Neil Reimer3 1Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii, 16 E. Lanikaula St, Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA; e-mail: [email protected] 2,3Plant Pest Control Branch, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, 216 E. Lanikaula St., Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA; 31428 S. King St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 USA Abstract. A small infestation of Wasmannia auropunctata (little fire ant) was discov- ered on the island of Maui, Hawaii in September 2009. After delimiting the infestation, we treated it on twelve occasions over the course of a year using two types of granular baits for the ground layer and a paste bait containing indoxacarb (0.18% a.i.) on the vegetation. These treatments rapidly reduced the W. auropunctata population with only a single ant recorded after five months treatment and none thereafter. To date, one year after initiation of treatments, no further positive detections have been observed and we tentatively report the eradication of this species from Maui. The key components of the treatment program contributing to its success to date have been the baiting of arboreal nests with a formulation designed for use on vegetation and the strategy of baiting repeatedly even after no ants could be detected with conventional survey methods. The response to the detection of this invasive species on Maui is a successful example of multi-agency collaboration and cooperation necessary for invasive species management. -
Pest Management Strategic Plan for Coffee Production in Hawai'i
Pest Management Strategic Plan for Coffee Production in Hawai‘i Summary of a workshop held on April 16–17, 2007 Honolulu, Hawai‘i Issued January 2010 Lead Authors: Mike Kawate, Cathy Tarutani, and H.C. Bittenbender Contact Person: Cathy Tarutani, Education Specialist (808) 956-2004 [email protected] This project was sponsored by the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau Federation, co-sponsored with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, and the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture– National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Table of Contents Executive Summary ...........................................................................................................3 Work Group and Contributors ........................................................................................4 Top Pest Management Priorities in Hawai‘i Coffee Production ...................................6 General Production Information ......................................................................................8 Production Regions ................................................................................................9 Cultural Practices ................................................................................................12 Integrated Pest Management ..............................................................................15 Crop Stages ...........................................................................................................16 Pest Pressures -
Southern Expansion of the Invasive Ant Wasmannia Auropunctata Within Its Native Range and Its Relation with Clonality and Human Activity
RESEARCH ARTICLE Southern expansion of the invasive ant Wasmannia auropunctata within its native range and its relation with clonality and human activity 1 1 2 1 Lucila ChiffletID *, Noelia Vero nica GuzmaÂn , Olivier Rey , Viviana Andrea Confalonieri , Luis Alberto Calcaterra3,4 a1111111111 1 Departamento de EcologõÂa, GeneÂtica y EvolucioÂn, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2 Laboratoire of Interactions Host- a1111111111 Parasites-Environment, Universite de Perpignan, CNRS, IFREMER, Universite de Montpellier, Perpignan, a1111111111 France, 3 FundacioÂn para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina, a1111111111 4 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientõÂficas y TecnoloÂgicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina a1111111111 * [email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS Citation: Chifflet L, GuzmaÂn NV, Rey O, The little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata, native to the Neotropics, has become a serious Confalonieri VA, Calcaterra LA (2018) Southern pest worldwide over the past 100 years. It was originally distributed from Mexico to northern expansion of the invasive ant Wasmannia Argentina and new evidence suggests a recent southern range expansion during the last 60 auropunctata within its native range and its relation years reaching central Argentina. This supercolonial ant species has a polymorphic repro- with clonality and human activity. PLoS ONE 13 (11): e0206602. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. ductive system. Some populations, mostly found in undisturbed natural environments, are pone.0206602 characterised by a classical sexual haplodiploid reproductive system. In other populations, Editor: Nicolas Chaline, Universidade de São Paulo, which mainly occur in human-modified habitats, diploid queens and haploid males are pro- BRAZIL duced clonally while workers are produced sexually. -
Mymicinae: Attini)
RESUMOXVIII Simpósio EXPANDIDO de Mirmecologia 049 433A QUEM SÃO AS CYPHOMYRMEX MAYR? (MYMICINAE: ATTINI) Who are Cyphomyrmex mayr? (Mymicinae: Attini) C.E.D. Sanhudo, A.J. Mayhé-Nunes & C.R.F. Brandão 1Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, CPEN, CP 678, CEP 69011-970, Manaus, AM, Brasil. E-mail: [email protected] O gênero Cyphomyrmex foi proposto por MAYR, em sempre presente. A maior parte está concentrada no meados do século 19, quando descreveu C. rimousus sul da América do Sul, entre as latitudes 20° e 30° S, minutus, que foi posteriormente elevada à espécie. mas C. biggibosus e C. faunulus ocorrem em localidades Após uma longa história taxonômica, com a descri- mais ao norte da América do Sul. Apesar da notável ção de vários táxons e revisões, atualmente reúne 37 expansão lateral dos lobos frontais de rimosus em C. espécies divididas em dois grupos: rimosus e strigatus longiscapus e C. muelleri, eles são tão aproximados (KEMPF, 1964; 1965; 1972, SMITH, 1979; BRANDÃO, 1991; quanto nas espécies do grupo strigatus. Por outro SNELLING & LONGINO, 1992, MACKAY & BAENA, 1993; lado, duas espécies de strigatus, C. bruchi e C. lectus, SCHULTZ et al., 2002). A definição do gênero é difícil, têm lobos mais expandidos que outros componentes pois os grupos apresentam diferenças morfológicas do grupo. Em strigatus, todas as espécies têm arestas notáveis, com poucas espécies de ambos comparti- pré-oculares retas, mas estas arestas também são retas lhando algumas características. em C. longiscapus e C. muelleri, porém elas se tornam O grupo rimosus tem 23 espécies: C. bicarinatus, C. pouco evidentes acima dos olhos e, mesmo não se bicornis, C. -
The History of Little Fire Ant Wasmannia Auropunctata Roger in the Hawaiian Islands: Spread, Control, and Local Eradication
Hproceedingsistory of W ofasmannia the ha Wauropunctataaiian entomological in Hawaii s ociety (2015) 48:39–50 39 The History of Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata Roger in the Hawaiian Islands: Spread, Control, and Local Eradication Casper Vanderwoude1, Michelle Montgomery, Heather Forester, Ersel Hensley, and Michael K. Adachi Hawaii Ant Lab, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 16 E. Lanikaula St Hilo, Hawaii. 1Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract. The islands of Hawaii have been the battleground for successive “inva- sion waves” by exotic ants for over a century. The arrival of Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) (the big headed Argentine ant) in the late nineteenth century, was fol- lowed in 1939 by Linepithema humile (Mayr) (the Argentine Ant) and Anoplolepis gracilipes (fr. Smith), (the longlegged Ant) in 1953. The most recent arrival is the little fire ant Wasmannia( auropunctata Roger) which was first recorded in 1999. This paper chronicles the subsequent spread of W. auropunctata through the Hawaiian archipelago. Initially introduced and spread via the import and sale of nursery plants, W. auropunctata is now well-established on the island of Hawaii. Ubiquitous on the windward side of Hawaii island, W. auropunctata are now be- ing transported not only via nursery plants but also via non-agricultural products. The prevention, detection and response to W. auropunctata introductions is ad- dressed by informal and ad hoc partnerships between a number of agencies, each contributing to preventing and reducing spread of this species. The draft Hawaii Inter-Agency Biosecurity Plan recognizes and strengthens these partnerships and will contribute positively to Hawaii’s biosecurity system. -
The Coexistence
Myrmecological News 13 37-55 2009, Online Earlier Natural history and phylogeny of the fungus-farming ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini) Natasha J. MEHDIABADI & Ted R. SCHULTZ Abstract Ants of the tribe Attini comprise a monophyletic group of approximately 230 described and many more undescribed species that obligately depend on the cultivation of fungus for food. In return, the ants nourish, protect, and disperse their fungal cultivars. Although all members of this tribe cultivate fungi, attine ants are surprisingly heterogeneous with regard to symbiont associations and agricultural system, colony size and social structure, nesting behavior, and mating system. This variation is a key reason that the Attini have become a model system for understanding the evolution of complex symbioses. Here, we review the natural-history traits of fungus-growing ants in the context of a recently published phylo- geny, collating patterns of evolution and symbiotic coadaptation in a variety of colony and fungus-gardening traits in a number of major lineages. We discuss the implications of these patterns and suggest future research directions. Key words: Hymenoptera, Formicidae, fungus-growing ants, leafcutter ants, colony life, natural history, evolution, mating, agriculture, review. Myrmecol. News 13: 37-55 (online xxx 2008) ISSN 1994-4136 (print), ISSN 1997-3500 (online) Received 12 June 2009; revision received 24 September 2009; accepted 28 September 2009 Dr. Natasha J. Mehdiabadi* (contact author) & Dr. Ted R. Schultz* (contact author), Department of Entomology and Laboratories of Analytical Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, NHB, CE518, MRC 188, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] * Both authors contributed equally to the work. -
Review Article Specialized Fungal Parasites and Opportunistic Fungi in Gardens of Attine Ants
Hindawi Publishing Corporation Psyche Volume 2012, Article ID 905109, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2012/905109 Review Article Specialized Fungal Parasites and Opportunistic Fungi in Gardens of Attine Ants Fernando C. Pagnocca,1 Virginia E. Masiulionis,1 and Andre Rodrigues1, 2 1 Centre for the Study of Social Insects, Sao˜ Paulo State University (UNESP), 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil 2 Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Sao˜ Paulo State University (UNESP), 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Andre Rodrigues, [email protected] Received 1 September 2011; Revised 2 November 2011; Accepted 5 November 2011 Academic Editor: Volker Witte Copyright © 2012 Fernando C. Pagnocca et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Ants in the tribe Attini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) comprise about 230 described species that share the same characteristic: all coevolved in an ancient mutualism with basidiomycetous fungi cultivated for food. In this paper we focused on fungi other than the mutualistic cultivar and their roles in the attine ant symbiosis. Specialized fungal parasites in the genus Escovopsis negatively impact the fungus gardens. Many fungal parasites may have small impacts on the ants’ fungal colony when the colony is balanced, but then may opportunistically shift to having large impacts if the ants’ colony becomes unbalanced. 1. Introduction family Pterulaceae (the “coral fungi” [10, 11]), (iii) a group of ants that cultivate Leucocoprini fungi in the yeast form (ants Restricted to the New World, the approximately 230 fungus- in the Cyphomyrmex rimosus group), (iv) the higher attine growing ant species in the tribe Attini cultivate basidiomyce- agriculture that encompass the derived genera Trachymyrmex tous fungi on freshly harvested plant substrate [1–3]. -
Reconstructing the Functions of Endosymbiotic Mollicutes in Fungus
RESEARCH ARTICLE Reconstructing the functions of endosymbiotic Mollicutes in fungus- growing ants Panagiotis Sapountzis*, Mariya Zhukova, Jonathan Z Shik, Morten Schiott, Jacobus J Boomsma* Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract Mollicutes, a widespread class of bacteria associated with animals and plants, were recently identified as abundant abdominal endosymbionts in healthy workers of attine fungus- farming leaf-cutting ants. We obtained draft genomes of the two most common strains harbored by Panamanian fungus-growing ants. Reconstructions of their functional significance showed that they are independently acquired symbionts, most likely to decompose excess arginine consistent with the farmed fungal cultivars providing this nitrogen-rich amino-acid in variable quantities. Across the attine lineages, the relative abundances of the two Mollicutes strains are associated with the substrate types that foraging workers offer to fungus gardens. One of the symbionts is specific to the leaf-cutting ants and has special genomic machinery to catabolize citrate/glucose into acetate, which appears to deliver direct metabolic energy to the ant workers. Unlike other Mollicutes associated with insect hosts, both attine ant strains have complete phage-defense systems, underlining that they are actively maintained as mutualistic symbionts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.39209.001 *For correspondence: [email protected] (PS); Introduction [email protected] (JJB) Bacterial endosymbionts, defined here as comprising both intra- and extra-cellular symbionts Competing interests: The (Bourtzis and Miller, 2006), occur in all eukaryotic lineages and range from parasites to mutualists authors declare that no (Bourtzis and Miller, 2006; Martin et al., 2017).