Argentine ants displace floral arthropods in a biodiversity hotspot

@article{Lach2007ArgentineAD,
  title={Argentine ants displace floral arthropods in a biodiversity hotspot},
  author={Lori Lach},
  journal={Diversity and Distributions},
  year={2007},
  volume={14}
}
  • L. Lach
  • Published 20 August 2007
  • Environmental Science
  • Diversity and Distributions
Argentine ant (Linepithema humile (Mayr)) invasions are often associated with the displacement of ground‐dwelling arthropods. Argentine ant invasions can also exert other effects on the community through interactions with plants and their associated arthropods. For example, carbohydrate resources (e.g. floral or extrafloral nectar) may influence foraging behaviour and interactions among ants and other arthropods. In South Africa's Cape Floristic Region, Argentine ants and some native ant… 
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88 Citations

Patterns of Floral Visitation to Native Hawaiian Plants in Presence and Absence of Invasive Argentine Ants1

Results suggest that Argentine ants may cause a reduction of native Hylaeus bee abundances in presence and absence of invasive Argentine ants in the subalpine shrubland of Haleakalā volcano.

Patterns of floral resource use by two dominant ant species in a biodiversity hotspot

It is shown that the availability of floral nectar and ability of Linepithema humile to more effectively utilise this temporarily available resource than native ants, can contribute significantly to the further spread and persistence of L. humile in natural environments in the CFR.

Synergistic impact of invasive alien plants and the alien Argentine ant on local ant assemblages in the Western Cape

Alien trees, Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp., affect ants negatively in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), a global biodiversity hotspot in South Africa. They reduce ant abundance and species richness,…

Ants, pests and natural enemies in Mediterranean citrus. Ecological interactions and practical implications for biological control

Results suggest that factors other than parasitoid disruption might explain the increased pest populations observed in the presence of ants, and compare the abundance, species richness, diversity and community structure of predators and parasitoids between the ant-allowed and ant excluded treatments.

Herbivory-induced extrafloral nectar increases native and invasive ant worker survival

It is revealed that ants cannot induce A. saligna extrafloral nectar production, but workers of both native and invasive ant species can benefit from extraflora nectar as much as they benefit from sucrose.

Ant-Plant Mutualism in Hawai‘i? Invasive Ants Reduce Flower Parasitism but also Exploit Floral Nectar of the Endemic Shrub Vaccinium reticulatum (Ericaceae)1

Ant densities in flowers were high and floral nectar was excessively exploited, which may lead to a reduced visitation rate of pollinators, but the ants' presence on flowers strongly reduced flower parasitism by caterpillars of the introduced plume moth Stenoptilodes littoralis and thus decreased the loss of flowers and buds.

Bumble Bee Avoidance of Argentine Ants and Associated Chemical Cues

The marked effects of this invasive ant on bee foraging behavior—through physical interaction and chemical cues—highlights Argentine ants as a serious pest whose control should be considered when developing pollinator conservation and management strategies.

THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF CAMPONOTUS ANTS ON POTENTIAL POLLINATORS OF PITYROCARPA MONILIFORMIS (BENTH.) LUCKOW & R. W. JOBSON (LEGUMINOSAE, MIMOSOIDEAE)

These ants present a stressful omnivory, and many species are involved in aggressive interactions, including Camponotus Mayr, the most abundant and diverse, with seven species patrolling leaves and foraging for EFN and honeydews at P. moniliformis.

Population Growth of Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the Presence of Linepithema humile and Tapinoma sessile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

It is suggested that colonies of L. humile and perhaps other invasive ants may acquire more honeydew than native ants, thereby fueling colony growth that leads to numerical dominance and widespread success in introduced environments.

Synergisms between Alien Trees and the Argentine Ant on Indigenous Ant Species in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

The effects of alien trees and the Alien ant are synergistic, both positively and negatively, depending on the particular indigenous ant species in question, and the changes in the indigenous ant assemblage wrought by alien trees are further influenced by the presence of the alien ant.
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References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 41 REFERENCES

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  • L. Lach
  • Environmental Science
    Ecology
  • 2007
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Evidence of the importance of some ants as predators of the many insects that lay freely exposed eggs is supported by the observed striking positive correlation between presence of I. humilis and lack of Phoracantha semipunctata damage to standing trees.