Red imported fire ant impacts on wildlife: A decade of research
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Abstract
The negative impacts of biological invasion are economically and ecologically significant and, while incompletely quantified, they are clearly substantial. Ants (family Formicidae) are an important, although often overlooked, component of many terrestrial ecosystems. Six species of ants are especially striking in their global ability to invade, and their impacts. This paper focuses on the impacts of the most destructive of those species, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), and focuses on impacts on native vertebrates. Red imported fire ants often become the dominant ant species in infested areas outside of their native range due to their aggressive foraging behavior, high reproductive capability and lack of predators and/or other strong competitors. The evidence suggests that mammals, birds and herpetofauna are vulnerable to negative impacts from fire ants, and some species are more likely to experience negative population-level impacts than other species. Assessing the ecological impacts of fire ants on wild animal populations is logistically difficult, and very few studies have combined replicated experimental manipulation with adequate spatial (>10 ha) and temporal (>1 y) scale. Thus, most studies have been observational, opportunistic, small-scale or 'natural' experiments. However, significant research, including an increase in experimental and mechanistic investigations, has occurred during the past decade, and this has led to information that can lead to better management of potentially affected species.
Publication type | Article |
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Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Red imported fire ant impacts on wildlife: A decade of research |
Series title | American Midland Naturalist |
DOI | 10.1674/0003-0031(2004)152[0088:RIFAIO]2.0.CO;2 |
Volume | 152 |
Issue | 1 |
Year Published | 2004 |
Language | English |
Publisher | BioOne Complete |
Contributing office(s) | Wetland and Aquatic Research Center |
Description | 16 p. |
First page | 88 |
Last page | 103 |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |