02109nas a2200217   4500008004100000022001400041245004900055210004900104260001600153520139700169653002501566653001901591653002001610653001801630653003201648100002301680700002201703700002701725700002201752856011701774       2014                        eng d  a0960-311500aWorldwide ant invasions under climate change0 aWorldwide ant invasions under climate change  cJul-09-20143 a<p>Many ants are among the most globally significant invasive species. They have caused the local decline and extinction of a variety of taxa ranging from plants to mammals. They disturb ecosystem processes, decrease agricultural production, damage infrastructure and can be a health hazard for humans. Overall, economic costs caused by invasive ants amount to several billion US $ annually. There is general consensus that the future distributions of invasive species are likely to expand with climate change, however this dogma remains poorly tested. Here we model suitable area globally for 15 of the worst invasive ant species, both currently and with predicted climate change (in 2080), globally, regionally and within the world&rsquo;s 34 biodiversity hotspots. Surprisingly, the potential distribution of only five species was predicted to increase (up to 35.8&nbsp;%) with climate change, with most declining by up to 63.3&nbsp;%. The ant invasion hotspots are predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa, Asia and Oceanic islands, and particularly correspond with biodiversity hotspots. Contrary to general expectations, climate change and invasive ant species will not systematically act synergistically. However, ant invasions will likely remain as a major global problem, especially where invasion hotspots coincide with biodiversity hotspots.</p>
10abiological invasions10aClimate change10aConsensus model10aInvasive ants10aSpecies distribution models1 aBertelsmeier, Cleo1 aLuque, Gloria, M.1 aHoffmann, Benjamin, D.1 aCourchamp, Franck  uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10531-014-0794-3http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10531-014-0794-3