@article {33472, title = {Mechanisms of competitive displacement of native ant fauna by invading Myrmica rubra (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) populations}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

Exotic ants have become invasive in many regions around the world, with variable ecological impacts. Postinvasion, native ant communities are often found to be depauperate, though the causes of this apparent lack of coexistence are rarely well known.\ Myrmica rubra\ (L.), a Palearctic Myrmecine ant, is currently expanding its range as an invasive in North America. This aggressive ant forms dense, patchy local infestations and appears to aggressively displace native ant fauna. We measured behavioral interactions and rates of recruitment in experimental field assays pitting native foragers against captive colonies of\ M. rubra\ at tuna-jelly or aphid baits in uninfested areas of Mt. Desert Island, ME. Behavioral interactions were idiosyncratic with respect to the native opponent, but\ M. rubra\ generally showed significantly higher levels of recruitment, aggression, and displacement of native foragers. As with other invasive ant species shown to have broken the \“dominance\–discovery trade-off,\”\ M. rubra\ was consistently faster to discover baits and disproportionately displaced native foragers, providing a plausible proximate mechanism for native ant exclusion. Finally, we surveyed ant recruitment at baits for 24 h in August 2004 at four sites with varying\ M. rubra\ abundance but found little evidence of temporal niche partitioning. Taken together, these results indicate competitive superiority byM. rubra\ with respect to native ant communities of the northeastern North America and suggest direct aggression and competitive exclusion at food resources can lead to local native displacement.

}, keywords = {coexistence, dominance{\textendash}discovery trade-off, European Fire Ant, invasive ant, ruby ant}, doi = {10.1603/EN14079}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/EN14079}, author = {Garnas, Jeffrey and Groden, Eleanor and Drummond, Francis A.} } @article {33411, title = {Origins and genetic composition of the European fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Newfoundland, Canada}, journal = {The Canadian Entomologist}, year = {2014}, month = {Jul-01-2014}, pages = {1 - 8}, abstract = {

The European Fire Ant,\ Myrmica rubra\ (Linnaeus) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is an invasive stinging ant that has only recently been recorded in Newfoundland, Canada. The goal of the present study was to investigate the origins of\ M. rubra\ ants in Newfoundland. We analysed mtDNA sequences from the cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I genes of ants from six localities in Newfoundland, and neighbouring regions of eastern Canada and the United States of America, and compared them with mtDNA data from a recent wide-scale phylogeographical study of the ant throughout Europe. There is evidence for at least four distinct sources of ants on the island. The putative routes of colonisation of the ant to Newfoundland are discussed, as are the possible reasons why it went undiscovered for many decades.

}, keywords = {Canada, European Fire Ant, invasive ant, pathways, phylogeography}, issn = {0008-347X}, doi = {10.4039/tce.2013.81}, url = {http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0008347X13000813}, author = {Hicks, Barry J. and Pilgrim, Brettney L. and Marshall, H. Dawn} }