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Red Imported Fire Ant (red + imported_fire_ant)
Selected AbstractsPatterns of abundance of fire ants and native ants in a native ecosystemECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2009KATHARINE L. STUBLE Abstract 1.,This correlational study examines the relationship between the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) and native ants in a longleaf pine savanna. Fire ants are frequently associated with a decline in native ants throughout the invaded range, but fire ant invasion is often coupled with habitat disturbance. Invasion of fire ants into the longleaf pine savanna provides an opportunity to examine the structure of the ant community in the absence of habitat disturbance. 2.,Pitfall trapping was conducted within the longleaf pine savanna as well as across a naturally occurring soil moisture gradient, in plots that had been artificially watered. 3.,Species richness did not vary as a function of fire ant density. There was an inverse relationship between native ant density and fire ant density, but this abundance pattern does not necessarily imply a causal link between fire ant invasion and native ant decline. For individual species, fire ant densities were negatively correlated with the densities of only two native ant species, including Solenopsis carolinensis, a native species that potentially limits the invasion of fire ants. Additionally, fire ants and native ants respond differently to soil moisture, with native ants favouring drier conditions than fire ants. 4.,The possible exclusion of fire ants by some native ants, as well as differences in habitat preferences, provide alternative explanations for the frequently observed negative correlation between fire ants and native ants. [source] The biogeography of prediction error: why does the introduced range of the fire ant over-predict its native range?GLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Matthew C. Fitzpatrick ABSTRACT Aim, The use of species distribution models (SDMs) to predict biological invasions is a rapidly developing area of ecology. However, most studies investigating SDMs typically ignore prediction errors and instead focus on regions where native distributions correctly predict invaded ranges. We investigated the ecological significance of prediction errors using reciprocal comparisons between the predicted invaded and native range of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) (hereafter called the fire ant). We questioned whether fire ants occupy similar environments in their native and introduced range, how the environments that fire ants occupy in their introduced range changed through time relative to their native range, and where fire ant propagules are likely to have originated. Location, We developed models for South America and the conterminous United States (US) of America. Methods, We developed models using the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP) and 12 environmental layers. Occurrence data from the native range in South America were used to predict the introduced range in the US and vice versa. Further, time-series data recording the invasion of fire ants in the US were used to predict the native range. Results, Native range occurrences under-predicted the invasive potential of fire ants, whereas occurrence data from the US over-predicted the southern boundary of the native range. Secondly, introduced fire ants initially established in environments similar to those in their native range, but subsequently invaded harsher environments. Time-series data suggest that fire ant propagules originated near the southern limit of their native range. Conclusions, Our findings suggest that fire ants from a peripheral native population established in an environment similar to their native environment, and then ultimately expanded into environments in which they are not found in their native range. We argue that reciprocal comparisons between predicted native and invaded ranges will facilitate a better understanding of the biogeography of invasive and native species and of the role of SDMs in predicting future distributions. [source] The major antennal chemosensory protein of red imported fire ant workersINSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009D. González Abstract Some chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are expressed in insect sensory appendages and are thought to be involved in chemical signalling by ants. We identified 14 unique CSP sequences in expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. One member of this group (Si-CSP1) is highly expressed in worker antennae, suggesting an olfactory function. A shotgun proteomic analysis of antennal proteins confirmed the high level of Si-CSP1 expression, and also showed expression of another CSP and two odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). We cloned and expressed the coding sequence for Si-CSP1. We used cyclodextrins as solubilizers to investigate ligand binding. Fire ant cuticular lipids strongly inhibited Si-CSP1 binding to the fluorescent dye N-phenyl-naphthylamine, suggesting cuticular substances are ligands for Si-CSP1. Analysis of the cuticular lipids showed that the endogenous ligands of Si-CSP1 are not cuticular hydrocarbons. [source] Tiny genomes and endoreduplication in StrepsipteraINSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004J. S. Johnston Abstract Using flow cytometry, the genome sizes of two species of Strepsiptera were studied: that of male Caenocholax fenyesi texensis Kathirithamby & Johnston (Myrmecolacidae) at 108 Mb, which is the smallest insect genome documented to date; and those of male and female Xenos vesparum Rossi (Stylopidae), which are 1C = 130 and 133 Mb, respectively. The genome sizes of the following were analysed for comparative purposes: (a) the Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), which was previously reported to be the smallest among insects: the male measured at 1C = 121 Mb and the female at 1C = 158 Mb; and (b) the female parasitic, haplodiploid, microhymenopteran wasp, Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko, which measured at 1C = 246 Mb. The hosts of the strepsipterans were also measured: male Solenopsis invicta Buren, the red imported fire ant (host of male C. f. texensis), which is 1C = 753.3 Mb, and female Polistes dominulus Christ, the paper wasp (host of X. vesparum), is 1C = 301.4 Mb. Endoreduplication (4C) of the genome of the thorax of the male strepsipteran, and higher levels of endoduplication (4, 8, 16C) in the body of the larger female was observed. In contrast, little or no endoreduplication was observed, either in the Hessian fly, or in the parasitic wasp. [source] Characteristics of 11 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta BurenMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2009RAJESH B. GARLAPATI Abstract We have characterized 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the invasive ant Solenopsis invicta. Primer pairs were evaluated on fire ants collected from monogyne mounds in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. The observed and effective number of alleles ranged from two to six and from 1.31 to 2.64, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosity values ranged from 0.1613 to 0.7826 and from 0.1491 to 0.6242, respectively. The polymorphism information content of the microsatellites ranged from 0.1482 to 0.6208. Probability tests indicated significant deviations from the Hardy,Weinberg equilibrium at three loci. Pairwise tests did not detect linkage disequilibrium between any pair of loci. [source] Molecular diversity of PBAN family peptides from fire ants,ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2010Man-Yeon Choi Abstract The PBAN/Pyrokinin peptide family is a major neuropeptide family characterized with a common FXPRLamide in the C-termini. These peptides are ubiquitously distributed in the Insecta and are involved in many essential endocrinal functions, e.g., pheromone production. Previous work demonstrated the localization of PBAN in the fire ant central nervous system, and identified a new family of PBAN from the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. In this study, we identified five more PBAN/Pyrokinin genes from S. geminata, S. richteri, S. pergandii, S. carolinensis, and a hybrid of S. invicta and S. richteri. The gene sequences were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships of these species and hybrid, which compared well to the morphologically defined fire ant subgroup complexes. The putative PBAN and other peptides were determined from the amino acid sequences of the PBAN/pyrokinin genes. We summarized all known insect PBAN family neuropeptides, and for the first time constructed a phylogenetic tree based on the full amino acid sequences translated from representative PBAN cDNAs. The PBAN/pyrokinin gene is well conserved in Insecta and probably extends into the Arthropod phylum; however, translated pre-propeptides may vary and functional diversity may be retained, lost, or modified during the evolutionary process. Published 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||