Community Effects of and Novel Control
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INAVSION OF A MAJOR U.S. SEAPORT: COMMUNITY EFFECTS OF AND NOVEL CONTROL METHODS FOR THE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA by BENJAMIN MICHAEL GOCHNOUR (Under the Direction of Daniel R. Suiter) ABSTRACT Invasive ants are a growing ecological and economic threat. With greater international trade comes the increased probability that species will be transported along with the goods via ships and seaports. Investigation of their impacts on native fauna is critical to understanding how best to prevent damage to existing habitats and communities by these invaders. Along with this understanding, new methods for control focused on impacting the invading species while leaving native species unharmed will bring about the most effective measures for addressing the issues associated with biological invasions. INDEX WORDS: Invasive species; Invasive ants; Tramp ants; Biological invasion; Nylanderia fulva; Tawny crazy ant; Semiochemical; Novel control method; Linepithema humile; Argentine ant INAVSION OF A MAJOR U.S. SEAPORT: COMMUNITY EFFECTS OF AND NOVEL CONTROL METHODS FOR THE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA by BENJAMIN MICHAEL GOCHNOUR B.S., University of Central Florida, 2012 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF SCIENCE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2017 © 2017 Benjamin Michael Gochnour All Rights Reserved INAVSION OF A MAJOR U.S. SEAPORT: COMMUNITY EFFECTS OF AND NOVEL CONTROL METHODS FOR THE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA by BENJAMIN MICHAEL GOCHNOUR Major Professor: Daniel R. Suiter Committee: Brian T. Forschler Joseph V. McHugh Qingguo Huang Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2017 iv DEDICATION To my mother, whose gentle guidance has led me to find myself. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I thank Dr. Dan Suiter for his unwavering dedication and vigilant counsel during this experience. I consider him to be not only an excellent mentor, but a friend. I thank my graduate committee for their support and willingness to accompany me on this journey. Dr. Brian Forschler: your insight regarding the aspects of academia beyond empirical research has been a grounding force that has only magnified my passion for what I do. Dr. Joe McHugh: you have been a beacon of excellence, the likes of which I can only hope to someday emulate. Dr. Jack Huang: your enthusiasm for my research and amiable approach to collaboration has provided respite during an incredibly stressful time. I thank Jerry Davis, whose statistical wizardry was invaluable to the validity of this project. To Christina Crespo: your support and commitment to improving the quality of my writing has been a boon to the arguments made in this thesis. My good friends Brent Phelan and Mike Arvin: you have provided me with relief from the onslaught of graduate school responsibility. The memories of our many late night gatherings will last a lifetime, as will our friendship. Finally, I thank my mother, Barbara Moore. Your patience, strength and unyielding love have allowed me to conduct myself with confidence and guile in my quest for knowledge. I owe all that I achieve to you and will be forever grateful for having you in my life. “The only person you’re truly competing against is yourself.” -Jean-Luc Picard vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ ix REVIEW OF THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE ASSOCIATED WITH INVASIVE ANT SPECIES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT .................................................................................. 1 Biology of Invasive Ants ......................................................................................................... 1 Argentine Ants ......................................................................................................................... 7 Novel Control Methods for Ants ........................................................................................... 13 Tawny Crazy Ant ................................................................................................................... 16 Ant Fauna of Georgia and the Southeast ............................................................................... 20 References Cited .................................................................................................................... 22 A SURVEY OF ANT SPECIES FROM THE PORT OF SAVANNAH, GARDEN CITY, GEORGIA (CHATHAM COUNTY) ........................................................................................ 38 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 38 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................... 39 Results and Discussion .......................................................................................................... 42 References Cited .................................................................................................................... 45 ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF THE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA MAYR, ON THE ANT COMMUNITY AT THE PORT OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA ........ 61 vii Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 61 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................... 62 Results .................................................................................................................................... 66 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 68 References Cited .................................................................................................................... 74 USE OF ROADSIDE HABITATS AS DISPERSAL CORRIDORS BY THE INVASIVE TAWNY CRAZY ANT, NYLANDERIA FULVA, AT THE PORT OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA ................................................................................................................................. 97 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 97 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................... 99 Results .................................................................................................................................. 101 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 104 References Cited .................................................................................................................. 109 POTENTIAL USE OF ARGENTINE ANT, LINEPITHEMA HUMILE MAYR, SEMIOCHEMICALS FOR THE DELIVERY OF AN ACUTE TOXICANT ....................... 127 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 127 Materials and Methods ......................................................................................................... 131 Results .................................................................................................................................. 134 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 136 References Cited .................................................................................................................. 139 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................... 150 viii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1. Ant species collected on and around the port of Savannah, Georgia with collection method and habitat type noted. ...................................................................................................... 47 Table 2.2. Trapping statistics for the 2015 - 2016 survey at the Port of Savannah, Georgia. ....... 51 Table 2.3. Number of ant species and exotic ant species in Georgia* and adjacent states*.. ....... 52 Table 3.1. Species richness by year plus number of species collected for both years and net change in number of species from 2015-2016 by transect. ............................................................ 77 Table 3.2. Uniques and Duplicates collected and richness estimator values for each transect by year……………………………………………………………………………………………….78 Table 3.3. Shared and unshared species averages for each transect by year…………………….79 Table 4.1. Ant species collected from roadside habitats (all four sites combined) on the Port of Savannah in Garden City, Georgia during 2015 and 2016. ......................................................... 112 Table 4.2. Site one species incidence. ......................................................................................... 113 Table 4.3. Site two species incidence. ........................................................................................