02664nas a2200217 4500008004100000245015200041210006900193260001600262300001400278520187700292653001602169653001402185653001902199653002002218100003602238700003302274700003302307700003602340700002702376856004302403 2014 eng d00aStructural changes in arboreal ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in an age sequence of cocoa plantations in the south-east of Bahia, Brazil0 aStructural changes in arboreal ant assemblages Hymenoptera Formi cJan-11-2014 an/a - n/a3 a

A study of succession of ant species in plantations of different ages and development may assist with our understanding of the dynamics of their assemblages. The aim of this study was to characterise the relationship between development of Brazilian cocoa plantations and the nature of their dominant ant assemblages. A chronosequence of cocoa plantations aged 1, 3, 4, 8, 15 and 33 years was sampled by several methodologies. Data were analysed in terms behavioural dominance and Berger-Parker's dominance index (here based on frequency data), and also by principal component analysis and analysis of co-occurrence. Apart from lower numbers of species being found in the 1-year-old plantation, there was no consistent trend in ant richness with plantation age. According to the criteria we adopted, only one species reached behavioural dominance in most age classes of plantation, although this increased to three in the 8-year-old one, before declining to zero in the oldest plantation. No species reached Berger-Parker's dominance in the youngest plantation, whereas all other age classes contained one to three dominants. Particular species showed non-age-related variations in their degree of Berger-Parker's dominance and this could in part be related to which species initially colonised the plantation. Principal component analysis axis 1 was partly related to plantation age, indicating an age-related change in assemblage composition. Ant species co-occurrence could only be effectively detected in cocoa plantations from 3 to 15 years of age. The arboreal ant assemblage is dynamic in nature, with the competitive hierarchy among species oscillating along the cocoa development chronosequence. The assemblage structure could be influenced by the initial founding ants, as well as by the invasive Monomorium floricola.

10acompetition10adominance10aterritoriality10aTheobroma cacao1 ada Conceição, Eltamara, Souza1 aDelabie, Jacques, Hubert Cha1 aLucia, Terezinha, Maria Cast1 aCosta-Neto, Antonio, de Oliveir1 aMajer, Jonathan, David uhttp://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/aen.1212800784nas a2200193 4500008004100000022001300041245004200054210004100096260001600137300001600153490000700169520025600176653001800432653002600450653000900476653002000485100001900505856006600524 2014 eng d a0960982200aInvasive species: old foes meet again0 aInvasive species old foes meet again cJan-05-2014 aR372 - R3740 v243 a

Tawny crazy ants are spreading across the southern U.S., replacing one of the most notorious invasive pests, the red imported fire ant. A crucial factor in this process is that tawny crazy ants are able to efficiently detoxify fire ant venom.

10aNorth America10ared imported fire ant10aRIFA10aTawny crazy ant1 aKronauer, J.C. uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S096098221400337600424nas a2200121 4500008004100000245005500041210004700096260002100143653002300164653002000187100001800207856007700225 2013 eng d00aThere’s a reason they call them ‘Crazy Ants’0 aThere s a reason they call them Crazy Ants cDecember 5, 201310aRasberry crazy ant10aTawny crazy ant1 aMooallem, Jon uhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/magazine/crazy-ants.html?smid=pl-share02553nas a2200253 4500008004500000020001400045245011600059210006900175260003700244300000900281520171000290653002602000653002002026653001802046653003002064653002302094653002302117653002002140653001502160100002002175700001702195700002302212856006402235 2013 Engldsh  a1387-354700aImported crazy ant displaces imported fire ant, reduces and homogenizes grassland ant and arthropod assemblages0 aImported crazy ant displaces imported fire ant reduces and homog bSpringer Netherlandsc2013/04/21 a1-143 a

A recently introduced, ecologically dominant, exotic ant species, Nylanderia fulva, is invading the Southeastern United States and Texas. We evaluate how this invader impacts diversity and abundance of co-occurring ants and other arthropods in two grasslands. N. fulva rapidly attains densities up to 2 orders of magnitude greater than the combined abundance of all other ants. Overall ant biomass increases in invaded habitat, indicating that N. fulva exploits resources not fully utilized by the local ant assemblage. At high density, as N. fulva spreads, it eliminates the current ecologically dominant invasive ant, red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). Compared to imported fire ant dominated habitat, N. fulva invasion zones have lower non-ant arthropod species richness and abundance with impacts differing by trophic category. Further, N. fulva reduces abundance and species richness of the remainder of the ant assemblage and does so in a non-random manner: impacting species with small sized workers much less than species with larger workers. In these and other ant assemblages with a large exotic component, the exotics tend to be small bodied species. As a result, N. fulva almost completely eliminates regionally distributed species, but leaves globally distributed species largely unaffected, thereby systematically favoring introduced over native diversity. S. invicta impacts wildlife and arthropod assemblage structure and is nearly ubiquitous in non-forested habitats of the Southeastern United States and Texas. Its displacement by N. fulva has critical implications for the natural systems of this region.

10aBiotic homogenization10aHairy crazy ant10aInvasive ants10aNylanderia sp. nr. pubens10aParatrechina fulva10aRasberry crazy ant10aTawny crazy ant10aTramp ants1 aLeBrun, EdwardG1 aAbbott, John1 aGilbert, LawrenceE uhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-013-0463-6#01752nas a2200169 4500008004100000245014700041210006900188260003000257300001100287490000600298520111300304100002101417700002201438700002201460700002101482856007901503 2012 eng d00aThe Importance of Using Multiple Approaches for Identifying Emerging Invasive Species: The Case of the Rasberry Crazy Ant in the United States0 aImportance of Using Multiple Approaches for Identifying Emerging bPublic Library of Science ae453140 v73 a

In the past decade, Houston, Texas has been virtually overrun by an unidentified ant species, the sudden appearance and enormous population sizes and densities of which have received national media attention. The Rasberry Crazy Ant, as it has become known due to its uncertain species status, has since spread to neighboring states and is still a major concern to pest control officials. Previous attempts at identifying this species have resulted in widely different conclusions in regards to its native range, source, and biology. We identify this highly invasive pest species as Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) using morphometric data measured from 14 characters, molecular sequence data consisting of 4,669 aligned nucleotide sites from six independent loci and comparison with type specimens. This identification will allow for the study and control of this emerging pest species to proceed unencumbered by taxonomic uncertainty. We also show that N. fulva has a much wider distribution than previously thought and has most likely invaded all of the Gulf Coast states.

1 aGotzek, Dietrich1 aBrady, Seán, G1 aKallal, Robert, J1 aLaPolla, John, S uhttp://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.004531400590nas a2200145 4500008004100000020002700041245011300068210006900181260001600250300000900266490000900275100001600284700001700300856012700317 2012 eng d aISBN 978-1-77557-021-900aMonograph of Nylanderia (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the World, Part II: Nylanderia in the Nearctic0 aMonograph of Nylanderia Hymenoptera Formicidae of the World Part c5 Oct. 2012 a1-640 v35081 aKallal, R J1 aLaPolla, J S uhttps://antkey.myspecies.info/en/content/monograph-nylanderia-hymenoptera-formicidae-world-part-ii-emnylanderiaem-nearctic